The Road Not Chosen
by Joan Powers
Summary: Friction in the group results when the Terrians advise the colonists not to utilize the only clear pass through the mountains to New Pacifica. DD, AJ, MB
1. Chapter 1

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

**Type:** Drama, D/D romance also A/J and M/B

**Summary**: Friction in the group results when the Terrians advise the colonists not to utilize the only clear pass through the mountains to New Pacifica.

**Timeline/Spoilers: **Post "All About Eve" follows my story Boundaries

**Rating**: K+

**A/N:** This story was originally posted in 1998. It is the last in the series nominated for a Koba award for best continuing series for Earth 2. It follows Boundaries. Since this was my last piece of Earth 2 fanfic and the longest piece of work I'd ever attempted (this took over a year and a half to write), it has a slighter longer author's note. Bear with me or skip ahead.

_I had several goals in mind while working on this piece. I wanted to tie up previous loose ends (mostly regarding how Devon was poisoned, and her lack of a bio-stat implant --which has always bugged me), take Devon and Danziger's relationship a tiny step forward, and have the colonists learn more about the unusual features of G889 during the course of their journey. Don't worry -- it's _not_ just a Devon and Danziger story! There's _much_ more to it!_

_I feel compelled to make the following acknowledgments. The title of this piece was loosely inspired by Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken", and Alonzo's plea to the Terrians was inspired by First Corinthians Chapter 12, verses 12-31. In addition, I want to thank Lynn Leaper for metaphysical and Gaian hypotheses discussions; Maxine McBrinn for insightful comments about the nature of relationships; and I need to acknowledge the Babylon 5 episode "The Soul Hunters" which furnished additional inspiration for this story. _

_Finally I want to thank Tracy Taylor, and members of the fanfic critique group --especially Deb Franklin, Nicole Mayer, Maxine McBrinn, and_ Deb Wilson for their time and helpful comments.

Chapter 1

His surroundings felt familiar to him, almost as if he'd been in that place before. He was alone, wandering along a dank, dimly lit cavern which was most likely a Terrian dwelling. Only the muffled sound of his footsteps accompanied him. The corridor was steeply pitched, angling downwards as he followed it. Though he was uncertain of his ultimate destination, he felt as if with each step he was crawling deeper into the bowels of the planet.

A sense of deja-vu overwhelmed him, he was convinced that he'd explored that tunnel before. Yet something different was happening this time. A bright pin-point of light reflected off the walls in the distance ahead of him. Like a ship's tractor beam offered to an ailing space craft, he was drawn to it.

As he rounded the corner, he approached the source of the light, which resembled a glowing, pulsating soap bubble. It floated freely in the air and was no larger than the palm of his hand. The illumination it offered became brighter and he could discern brilliant shades of gold within it. He stared at the fragile object, captivated by its beauty.

Unable to resist his compelling urge, he lifted his hand to gently lay his finger against the side of the shimmering bubble. Before he could complete the motion, the entire scene faded before his eyes.

XXXXXX

(Bess Martin)

_After several weeks on the road, we finally crossed the vast desert region and entered more mountainous territory. While the scenery was gorgeous and game more abundant, traveling had become difficult due to the steep, narrow paths which were challenging for the vehicles to negotiate. Almost once a day we had to detour or hack away at unexpected obstacles which blocked our progress. The monotonous routine of backtracking, chopping down tree branches, and moving rocks, was time consuming and produced several minor injuries, as well as fostered disagreements and grumbling among us. _

_Yet, despite our complaints about these inconveniences, Eden Advance was faring well. Our supplies were holding up. Devon Adair had almost fully recovered from her mysterious illness, and we hadn't encountered any signs of the Council, ZED's or penal colonists. Slowly but surely, we were making our way across the continent towards our new home._

_At that point, I wasn't overly concerned about low group morale. After all, in the last few months we'd been through some terrible experiences together but we'd survived to tell about them. Life on this planet had changed us, refined our survival skills. Like a well oiled machine, we'd learned to work as a team to face adversity. _

_I guess I was feeling optimistic, encouraged that we could take on any of the challenges waiting to present themselves to us as we continued our journey. I'd forgotten that regardless of our common goal of reaching New Pacifica, our group was composed of individuals, each with his own priorities, beliefs and dreams. In the days to come, we would be reminded how many differences still lay between us. _

XXXXXX

"Great, just great!" Morgan scowled as he slammed the side of his hand against the console of the Transrover. After flinging open the passenger side door of the motionless vehicle, he hopped out and stormed directly towards the cluster of individuals congregated by the protruding rock formation which blocked its path. Without breaking his stride, the government liaison located Alonzo. "I thought _this way_ was supposed to be clear." His sarcastic tone left no doubts in his audience regarding his feelings.

Conversation between Baines, Walman, Alonzo and Julia abruptly ceased as the pilot stiffened and sharply replied, "It was the best route I could find. I thought we had plenty of room to clear this. I didn't realize that it was so steep on the other side."

"Maybe if you paid as much attention to your scouting as you do to your girlfriend you would've realized that the Transrover couldn't possibly squeeze past these rocks." Morgan gestured to the outcrops in the surrounding terrain as he spoke. "What now? Are we supposed to blow this stuff up to get it out of our way? Or do we backtrack -- again? Now it's gonna take the rest of the day to get back in motion. Gee, did we manage to cover even _five_ clicks today?"

Julia, close by Alonzo's side, gritted her teeth and directed a seething glance towards Morgan.

"Shut up Morgan. I don't like it any more than you do. I'd like to see you do a better job!" Alonzo angrily replied.

"Maybe I could." The government liaison replied with uncharacteristic fervor, actually stepping forward to meet the pilot's eyes without flinching.

"Oh yeah?" Alonzo's lips twisted with amusement while Baines and Walman chuckled loudly. "Love to see that."

Instead of backing down, Morgan squared his shoulders and with determination, began to approach the ATV. "Just watch me."

Alonzo pivoted to block his way, laying a hand on the other man's forearm. He warned, "Don't bother. I'm too tired to rescue you _when_ you get in trouble."

The government liaison whirled about and sarcastically replied, "Oh, I see. Then what do you suggest? Maybe you can do a better job if you take a nap to supposedly ask the Terrains to show you the location of a decent trail?"

"Shut it Martin. Or I'll do it for you." The handsome young pilot's features tightened with rage and his right hand clenched into a fist.

Before Morgan could respond, Julia interceded, stepping between the men. As she pushed the two of them apart, she impatiently yelled, "Enough of this! We have work to do." She turned to grab Alonzo's arm and the two walked away from the others.

XXXXXX

Bess Martin opened her eyes to see morning sunbeams streaming into her tent. Pleased by the sight, she smiled and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with crisp fresh air and the fragrant aroma of pine needles. She thought this was a wonderful area, and its cooler climate was much more comfortable to travel in. She rolled over to nudge Morgan but strangely enough, he wasn't there.

That wasn't like him. Typically she was the early riser while her husband chose to stay underneath his covers for as long as he could. She sat up and began to brush out her long, chestnut colored hair as she wondered where he'd gone.

A few minutes later, after she finished fixing her hair and putting on a clean shirt and pair of pants, Morgan entered their tent. He was already dressed for the day but his appearance was haphazard. The tail of his shirt wasn't fully tucked into his trousers and some strands of his hair stuck out wildly from his pony tail. She stifled a giggle. Her father wouldn't have recognized this man, her husband looked quite unlike the polished professional lawyer she'd originally presented to him.

"Hi honey. Where you been?" Bess beamed pleasantly at her husband.

"Couldn't sleep any longer." He sank down onto their cot beside his wife then he sprang up almost immediately as if filled with nervous energy. "Thought I'd volunteer to go on one of the scouts today but of all people - _Devon _insists on going herself."

"Honey, are you okay?" Bess's eyes widened and she leaned forward to examine her husband. She was worried. For the past week Morgan had been complaining incessantly. That in itself wasn't entirely unusual so she wasn't surprised that Morgan had accused Alonzo of not doing his job yesterday. However, her mouth had fallen open when it was evident that her husband wasn't going to back down from the pilot's challenge. Unless her eyes had been playing tricks on her, she thought she'd actually seen him preparing to return Alonzo's punch.

And the grim determination that had glimmered within his eyes at that moment...She'd _never_ seen that side of her husband before. She didn't think that it had existed. Silently she thanked Julia for her quick reflexes, stepping in before any damage was done.

And now Morgan was volunteering? To go _scouting_? "You seem...tense."

He began to pace back and forth in the tent, "Bess, do you realize that we've been on this God forsaken planet for almost a year?"

She thought a moment, "I guess you're right." With eagerness she added, "But look at the progress we're making. Devon thinks it'll only take a few more months to reach New Pacifica. We're more than half-way there."

Morgan spoke firmly, "I don't care. I'm sick of the great outdoors. The lousy food. The lack of privacy. The _abysmal _bathroom conditions. I want this camping trip from hell to end. Now!"

Bess sighed, she'd heard this tirade too many times. She bent her head and scolded him, "Morgan, calm down. You're making too much of things. It's not all that bad."

"Maybe not compared to living on Earth. But I'm used to order. And cleanliness. I don't know how much more I can take of this." Morgan gestured dramatically with his hands and a hint of desperation was in his voice.

"So we don't have some of the conveniences that we were used to.Do you honestly think you're the only one who misses them? But we have advantages that we didn't have before. Just smell the air - you can actually take a deep breath and it won't irritate your lungs. Look at all the fresh water streams and ponds we've found. The only kind of swimming you could do on Earth was in a concrete hole. And we'll have new opportunities for our future. An important position for you, our own land. For now we have to make the best of things."

Morgan whined, "But you're good at that. Maybe it's because you grew up on Earth."

Always the practical person in their marriage, she evenly responded, "Morgan, we don't have any other choices at the moment." She rose from her seat on the cot then knelt to throw some items into a backpack. "C'mon, after we take care of our chores, let's go exploring and find some nice spot where we can be alone."

Morgan sank down onto the edge of the cot and lowered his head into his hands to sulk.

After she finished her packing, Bess crept up beside him to brush her thigh against his shoulder. Sensing that she'd engaged his attention, she lowered her voice to suggestively add, "We _could_ play in VR."

His expression brightened as he looked up to meet his wife's eyes. "Well, okay. Only if you insist."

XXXXXX

Devon Adair stepped cautiously, studiously avoiding any rocks along her path as she wandered about the wooded area. Her eyes automatically registered the presence of small bushes and shrubs amidst taller trees, but clearly her thoughts were somewhere else. She bit her lip as she knelt, automatically selecting a small brown speckled specimen which resembled a mushroom. After labeling then depositing her sample into her pack, she brought her arms closer to her chest as she rose, glad she'd brought her jacket for the air was becoming cooler. Though she hoped this might be due to the higher altitude rather than the onset of fall.

While Eden Advance paused to rest, several scouting parties were busily exploring different directions, searching for food to replenish supplies - but most importantly, trying to pinpoint the precise location of the wide valley indicated by Yale's aerial maps which would allow them to travel safely through these mountains. Devon and Danziger had taken the ATV to investigate the northwest while Alonzo and Julia took the Dunerail to check out the southwest.

She suspected the young couple had other motives in mind when they eagerly volunteered for their extended scouting tour. But she couldn't fault them for she had a hidden agenda of her own.

The tall, imposing figure of John Danziger stood ahead of her, poised near the edge of the gorge. With jumpers in hand, he scanned the horizon. Several rocky mountains dotted with towering evergreens greeted him. "No sign of a wide pass around here," he grumbled to her as he shook his head. "Terrain just gets steeper."

His blond, curly locks were still long, almost shoulder length, and a thin stubble of beard covered his jaw. At one point in her life, his bohemian appearance would've repelled the refined and sophisticated Devon Adair. But under current circumstances, she found his looks very appealing and oddly comforting.

The two moved on in silence, each preoccupied by his own thoughts. Since Devon continued to lag behind him, John turned to ask, "You tired?"

For the most part, Devon had kept her promise to take better care of herself. Since her health was improving, she no longer required afternoon naps. However John insisted that she only walk during part of those days that they traveled. Sometimes she resented the restrictions he tried to impose on her so she'd protest -- loudly. Yet, they'd been managing to get along well with one another for, though he'd never said so, she was fully aware that his actions were motivated by his feelings towards her. She was surprised that he'd allowed her to go -_ no_ - that he'd agreed to accompany her on this short trip, due to his over-zealousness where her health was concerned.

"I'm fine," she blandly replied as she stopped, noticing some small red berries on a bush. She plucked a few, placed them into a sample bag then added it to the rest of her collection.

He paused, waiting for her to catch up to him. While Devon appeared to be okay, just as she claimed, he didn't believe her. He knew her too well. He could readily discern the tension in her jaw. And the fact that she didn't snap at him for inquiring about her health lead him to think otherwise. Trying to catch her eye, he probed, "Really?"

She didn't respond. Though she was looking directly at him, her eyes seemed veiled, not focusing on what was before them.

With concern he asked, "What's wrong?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing. I just wish we could find that pass."

"Me too." They continued to walk along the edge of the ravine. They'd hiked up to higher ground hoping they could get a better vantage point of their surroundings. "This is so aggravating. We should've stumbled right onto it. The valley is huge - we couldn't have missed it."

"Unless our data is old and it's closed over, or God only knows what happened to it." Devon sighed dejectedly as she scanned the horizon.

John stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. "Excuse me? You're the optimist. Remember? I need you to do your job Adair." He playfully teased her, his blue eyes meeting her brown ones.

She smiled weakly towards him, slightly flustered, "I'm sorry. I'm just a little preoccupied."

"With what?" His eyebrow rose.

"I don't know." She took a breath then continued, "I'm worried that we haven't found that passage. The vehicles are taking a lot of abuse on this rugged terrain." She fiddled with the zipper on her jacket as she spoke.

John rolled his eyes, "You're telling me. But that's my department, not yours."

His expression told her that he knew she was hiding something so she tried to ease herself into the issue. Mentally she chided herself for being such a coward. The direct approach usually worked best for her, but she was having trouble managing that. "Aren't you concerned that group morale hasn't been the greatest lately? Yesterday Alonzo almost hit Morgan, and Baines and Walman practically had a shouting match the other afternoon over how to hook up the winch on the Transrover."

"They're just tired. I wouldn't worry about that." His gaze firmly held hers.

She brushed her bangs out of her eyes with her fingertips, "But what about the Martins? They've been behaving more aggressively. This morning Morgan insisted that he should be on this scout instead of you and me."

Danziger gave her a puzzled look. "That's odd. But why would you worry about that?" he half-joked. Since Devon didn't respond in kind, he added, "Maybe he's still a little mad at you for disappearing that day while you were sick. I did come down pretty hard on Bess. I don't know. Whatever it is, he'll get over it. Since when have you been paranoid? You've dealt with worse than this, especially as the head of your own firm on the Stations."

When he noticed that she was staring off into the distance, his tone became gruffer, "Devon, I'm not a mind reader. Either you're either gonna tell me what's _really_ bothering you or let's end this conversation."

"Okay." She turned her head to face him once again, and nervously swallowed to still the butterflies in her stomach. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you about which I've been putting off. I haven't wanted to talk with anybody about it." She spoke slowly, as if forcing the words out of her throat.

"You wanna sit down?" She nodded so they moved towards a grassy clearing. After brushing aside rocks and debris, they sat on the ground. "Go ahead Devon." His terse expression indicated that she had his complete attention.

She took a breath, "Has Julia told you what caused my illness?"

He had to think a minute, "Some kind of poison - right."

She nodded. "Did she mention where this came from?"

"Julia said you'd run into some strange plant." It had taken the young doctor a while to convince him that it wasn't a risk for the others at camp. She'd argued that they were no longer in the area where the plant grew.

"That's what she told everyone, because she didn't want to upset you. But she actually thinks that the Council planted it in me."

"What?"

John seemed confused so she tried to elaborate, "Julia says the compound wasn't native to G889, it was synthesized by Council scientists. She and Yale found it listed in the Independence computer data base. They think before we left the Stations, a device may have been implanted in my body which would've slowly released the toxin into my system."

"So the Council tried to kill you?" John asked with disbelief.

"That's Yale and Julia's theory. So far, they haven't been able to find any proof. Julia hasn't found any evidence of such a device which would've delivered the substance in my body, but she didn't think that disproved her idea."

Slightly indignant, he replied, "Why didn't they bother to tell the rest of us about this? Why did she lie to us?"

"Julia claimed she didn't want to bring down group morale."

He rubbed his chin as he thought, "After all we've been through, I wouldn't put this type of plot past the Council. Even if it is true, I guess we can't change anything now. It's over and done with - isn't it?"

Her heart began to beat faster as he voiced one of the other fears that'd been slowly gnawing at her for the past weeks. "I'm not sure." Before she could lose her nerve, she began to speak rapidly,"We have another idea. I wanted to get your insight. Frankly I hope this sounds absolutely ludicrous to you. What if...the poison was administered by someone in our group? Around the time we all started getting sick, or just after Eve's programming was fixed."

John tried to interrupt but she cut him off, "Think about it. The bomb or the crash should've killed me, along with everybody else. Why would the Council go to all this additional trouble of specifically targeting me? I became much more attractive to them once we landed on this planet and learned that Uly's healing might be the key to relating to the Terrians and controlling the planet. But back on the Stations, when this poison was supposedly implanted in my body, they wouldn't have known this. Whoever did this may be planning to eventually take over leadership of the group and the colony."

"Whoa. Sorry, I don't buy this at all. Frankly I'd love to accuse good ol' Morgan of doing the deed and lock him up forever, but I just don't think it's him. Or anyone else in the group. I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Devon, you weren't there. Those days after we put you in that chamber, we were like the walking dead. Part of all us was in there with you. Talk about being vulnerable, that would've been the ideal opportunity for someone to take charge of the group. But no one did. Not a single person challenged me." He grasped her hand as he spoke and squeezed it gently.

Devon was touched by the raw emotion in his voice and softly replied, "I know that. Julia and Yale have told me the same. But they aren't fully convinced."

"What are they basing their suspicions on?" John demanded.

"Julia knows how the Council works. She believes it's entirely possible that our encounter with Eve may've been a signal that this person was waiting for. Getting rid of me could've been his part of their plan and some other group of operatives may be waiting to complete the task."

"Devon, other than Elizabeth and Franklin, we haven't run into anyone but penal colonists and a ZED. And we haven't seen those in over two hundred kilometers."

"Maybe we haven't reached the rendezvous point yet," she countered.

"Sounds shaky to me. What else?"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 2

Devon explained, "Julia says although she keeps the medical equipment under close scrutiny, someone could've easily borrowed a hypodermic syringe to administer the poison to me while I was sleeping. During those first months on the planet, just before we discovered that Julia worked for the Council, Bess somehow managed to grab one to sedate her - remember?"

"So what." The mechanic remained unconvinced.

"What about that day I got lost?" She blushed and tilted her head to examine her boot laces as she spoke, embarrassed by her foolishness. Frustrated by her physical weakness caused by the poison, once she'd started feeling slightly better, in her typical headstrong fashion, she'd circumvented Dr. Heller's orders and insisted on going swimming by herself. While that in itself hadn't been a bad idea, once at the pond she'd discovered a Grendler whom she'd proceeded to chase after in hopes of locating food stocks. Needless to say, the Grendler moved much faster than she had and she'd only managed to get herself lost in the process.

During her misadventure, she'd fallen and injured herself. Though she'd sustained mostly minor cuts, her weakened immune system wasn't able to combat the ensuing infection. Since her gear, which had been supposedly fixed the evening before, had malfunctioned, she'd spent the better part of the night in a feverish state, alone in the woods. Luckily, Eden Advance had been able to locate her in time to contain her infection. Yet her actions had impeded her overall physical recovery by over four weeks.

"C'mon, how would any one know that you were gonna pull such a stupid stunt?" Noticing her offended expression he added, "Sorry, I tell it like I see it. Diplomacy was never one of my skills." She softened. "As far as I can tell, the set probably broke when you fell. No big mystery there. Any other _evidence_?"

She paused. "No. I guess it does seem paranoid. I'm just having trouble keeping these kind of thoughts out of my head. Still, there's really no proof for either of these ideas. Maybe we'll never know." She sighed with frustration.

John leaned closer to put his arm around her shoulder, "Let's take this one day at a time, Devon. Whatever happened, we're gonna get through each day. Together."

Her breath caught in her throat as she instinctively leaned against the curve of his shoulder. It'd been over a month since his body was this close to her. Even though over two months had passed since the Terrians had healed her and her physical health was almost restored, John had treated her as if she were some fragile flower. While he hadn't been avoiding her company, he'd kept his distance, almost as if he were afraid of losing control if he came too close to her. That night several weeks ago when they'd first kissed, flames of desire immediately sparked within them. They'd almost recklessly given in to their passion.

Without dwelling on the consequences, she shifted her position to rest her back more comfortably against John's chest, and he wrapped his arms firmly around her waist. She could feel the warmth emanating from him, it was wonderful. Her instincts warned her to pull away before this led to something she wasn't ready for. But it'd been such a long time since she had a lover. Someone to hold her and comfort her. Someone she felt safe with. It'd been too long. She closed her eyes as she nestled against him, simply enjoying his nearness.

John interrupted her thoughts, "Is there any other information we can get to explore either of those possibilities? Did Julia do every possible test on you that she could think of?"

She straightened up as she remembered, "She's done peripheral scans, but she wanted to put off doing more invasive ones until I was stronger. I'll have to talk with her about that."

He objected, "Wait a minute. Don't push her to do the tests until she's certain you're strong enough."

With exasperation she turned to face him and exclaimed, "John, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm practically back to normal. Julia says so."

At that point, her face was only inches away from his. She began to breathe more rapidly as her urge to touch to him grew more intense. She wanted to run her fingers through those tangled blond curls; to feel his body pressed up against hers; to pull his face towards her so she could kiss him --- now. Looking into his eyes, she could tell that he felt the same way.

Unable to resist, she leaned towards him, closing the gap between them. "I'm not gonna break," she whispered as she impulsively brushed her lips against his.

John responded warmly to her overture, wrapping his arm about her shoulder as they deepened the kiss. Those sensations, which they'd discovered several weeks ago and had been unable to completely forget, were immediately reawakened.

However, as they began to explore one another's bodies, this time neither one pulled away.

XXXXXX

A year, it'd been almost a year since they'd crashed onto this supposedly uninhabited planet, G889. All that time spent in the company of complete strangers, many whom had now become close companions. Approximately three hundred sixty Station days since the Terrians had entered his dreams.

Had the dreaming changed him? Julia was concerned about the effects of these communications on his physiology so she faithfully examined him. Though he'd never admit it to her, he was grateful for her precautions. While she hadn't detected any biochemical changes in him, he wasn't the same as the man who'd arrived here.

He almost cringed as he recalled how he'd wallowed in self-pity after they'd crash landed in the escape pod, whining about the pain of his injured leg and stubbornly refusing to cope with day to day life. No wonder Julia'd lost her temper with him when he pleaded with her to put him in a cryochamber and cart him across the planet.

He leaned forward to glance at the woman sitting in the passenger seat of the Dunerail. The wind was whipping her blonde locks across her face, which was apparently irritating her. He laughed. Julia was quite a woman. More complex than any other he'd known. Initially, her beauty and aloofness challenged him. She'd been a conquest to be taken, a night of passion with her would've been another notch on his belt. But somewhere along the line, his attitude had changed. Julia became more than just a prize to be enjoyed for the moment. Perhaps it grew from his respect for her as she diligently treated his injuries; or maybe it stemmed from that fact that despite their adverse circumstances, Julia always did her part without complaint.

Regardless, once he'd fallen in love with Julia, all the rules had changed for him. Forever. Once he was the king of casual flings, relationships were merely a game to him. Not anymore. Suddenly _he_ was the vulnerable one and he wasn't sure that he liked that feeling. After their first intimate night together, he'd been deeply hurt when Julia claimed that she couldn't remember a thing about the evening. When they discovered she was a Council spy, he was overwhelmed by his emotions; he felt angry and betrayed. In fact, he'd been so angry he'd been one of the first to vote to leave her behind. Yet the next day as their caravan moved on, he knew in his heart that he couldn't abandon her. He had to give her another chance.

"Nothing yet," Julia flatly relayed to Alonzo as she used the jumpers to scan the terrain.

"You all right Julia? You sound tired," the pilot asked, with concern.

She curtly replied, "I'm fine. Just impatient to continue moving on. I'm tired of all these delays."

"We all are. I don't understand it. We've been through worse than this. The weather in these mountains is better than that desert we just crossed. For once, we have plenty of sources for food and water. So why does traveling seem so difficult now? The entire group is tense."

Slipping into her professional guise, Julia commented, "It's a documented fact that the human body can respond to stressful conditions over limited periods of time. But as that time period becomes prolonged, it takes our minds and bodies longer to recover. We've been traveling so long that a day or two of rest is no longer sufficient time for us to 'recharge our batteries' - I think in our minds, we're geared up to find that pass so we can overcome the next obstacle in our journey. Once we locate it, maybe then we'll allow ourselves to relax. As you said, these delays are minor, it's just the timing. It's the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back."

The pilot nodded, "I'll agree there."

"Have the Terrians told you anything about this area?" Julia asked tentatively as she turned to glance at Alonzo. Immediately he became withdrawn, focusing his attention on their surroundings as they drove through the forest.

While Alonzo had grown to accept his unusual form of communications with the natives of G889, lately their lack of directness irritated him. Although the Terrians were sometimes blindingly clear in their intentions, other times they didn't make much sense at all. During his first few months on the planet, he'd learned that their conversation wasn't a two-way process. It didn't work that way. It irked him that certain members of their crew, such as Morgan Martin, still refused to acknowledge this. As if it were a situation he could somehow influence or change.

He took a breath then responded, "Not really. The past few nights on the Dream Plane, I keep finding myself exploring some cave. It looks just like any other Terrian cave to me. I can't figure out why they keep showing it to me."

"Have they ever done that before?" Julia asked with concern.

"Not really. I wish I could make sense of it. Since they keep repeating the image, it must be important to them, and to us." He rubbed his temple as he struggled to recall the details of the dream. _Something _different had happened last night, if only he could remember what it was.

"Wanna take a break?" Julia offered.

"Okay."

He stopped the Rail and the two climbed out of the vehicle. After drinking from her canteen, Julia motioned to a nearby ridge, "Why don't we hike up that way? Maybe we'll be able to see better. At the least, it'll probably have a great view." Alonzo nodded so she set a brisk pace towards the incline.

As he fell in behind her, he teased her. "You know Julia, I think you actually like all these mountains."

She smiled at him. "They are beautiful. I don't know what it is but something about them appeals to me. It's not the same as the recreational VR hiking programs I used on the Stations. C'mon!" She reached back and enthusiastically grabbed his hand to tug him along side of her.

He eagerly followed with a broad grin. Deviating from their prescribed mission, Julia was clearly doing this for him to distract him from his concerns about the Terrians. A fresh wave of love for her washed over him as he watched her shapely figure.

They tramped through the pine forest, underneath the canopy of needles towards a clearing. As Julia'd hoped, the ridge bordered a majestic canyon. Alonzo rushed towards the edge to get a better view. He excitedly exclaimed, "Julia, look! There's a lake down there."

The young doctor was close behind, "I see it. What a view." She brought up the jumpers to investigate further. As she scanned the area she bit her lip and frowned, "There's a river feeding into that lake."

"So?"

She pointed towards the left as she explained, "It looks pretty wide. It could effectively block our progress." As the doctor spoke, Alonzo knew in the pit of his stomach that she was right.

"Great. Let's hope Devon and Danziger had better luck," he grumbled. Julia continued to scrutinize the horizon with the jumpers. With a touch of irritation in his voice, he added, "You're right Julia, you don't have to convince me. That river's going to be a big problem."

She held up a hand as if asking not to be disturbed. After a moment, she grinned and exclaimed, "Look at this!" Then she transferred the glasses to him. It took him a few seconds to refocus the lenses in the direction she was gesturing to. Just north of the lake, the feeder river grew narrow. Alonzo's spirits began to revive. Now that they might be able to negotiate. Then he saw it. A pass wide enough to drive several Transrovers through. He threw his arms around Julia and they began to laugh.

XXXXXX

"Yeah, Danziger here." He stood as he adjusted the visual feed of his gear and spoke into the transmitter.

"We found it! Alonzo and Julia found the pass." Magus's image greeted him with a gleeful grin.

He paused a moment before responding, "You're kidding? That's great. Is it far?"

"Not by Rail. It may be a little harder to find a level route for the Transrover but Julia and Alonzo are checking it out."

"Great news. How are the kids doing?"

Magus answered, "They're fine. They're with Yale now. You need to talk to them?"

"Nah. We'll be back in a few hours. I don't want to wear Devon out, so we're gonna take it slow."

"Okay. See ya later. Magus out."

Danziger tossed aside the gear set as he hurried back towards Devon who was sitting on the ground, struggling to button her shirt with trembling fingers. He knelt to assist her as she pointed out, "Your shirt's not tucked in."

"They couldn't tell."

"Do you think they know?" she asked nervously.

"Know what?"

"What we were doing."

He shrugged, "I don't know. Who cares?" Seeing her wounded expression, he quickly added, "I mean, it's none of their business. _You're_ the one who insisted we had to answer the gear. You hear the good news?" She smiled awkwardly. After he finished assisting her with her blouse, he sat down beside her and grabbed one of her hands, "You okay with this?"

Devon paused before she thoughtfully responded, "Yes. It's just...been a long time." She took a breath before continuing. Lacking her usual confident demeanor, she hesitantly asked, "Um...John, I don't regret what just happened, but can we take this slowly? Keep this to ourselves for a while?"

"Okay," he murmured, suddenly looking towards the ground.

He'd misunderstood her intention, so she pulled his hand closer to her and more intently explained, "I haven't felt this way about anybody for years. I feel a little like a teenager -- kind of awkward. With all the other issues facing us -- the kids, scouting routes, equipment failure, the Colony ship, -- I'd rather not rush into a relationship. Let's just take things one day at a time?"

"Sure," he responded more confidently. Their eyes met and he began to caress her palm with his fingertips. With his other hand, he reached forward to tenderly touch her cheek. "You feeling okay? I didn't wanna wear you out," he sheepishly grinned.

"You're terrible -- I'm fine!" she laughed. "I wanna know what took you so long," she teased, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Flabbergasted, he sputtered, "_Me_? Look who's talking - the ultimate loner in the group. "

She blushed, "I guess I haven't given you much of a chance to get closer to me, have I?"

"Damn right."

More softly, she asked, "When did you...know?"

Trying to be casual but not succeeding, he explained, "I don't know. It's been...a while. At first, I tried to ignore it; I didn't think you were interested. Me being some drone mechanic. But, after you collapsed and we had to put you in that cryosleep chamber... then...leave you behind..." He was having difficulty continuing, his emotions were starting to choke him up; so Devon leaned forward to draw him into a hug. His voice wavered slightly as he almost whispered, "Christ, I had the most horrible nightmares that I'd never see you again."

"Shh. Don't think about that anymore. That's over." She kissed the top of his head, which was pressed against her shoulder. "What's important now is that we have each other. Along with some pretty wonderful kids, _and_ a way to get out of these mountains." Regretfully she looked towards the sky as she spoke, "Damn, I guess we'd better go soon. They're probably looking for us to get back to camp."

"Not yet. I told them we'd be gone a while. We have plenty of time. The kids are fine, they're with Yale."

She responded, "But we better get moving so we can start planning tomorrow's route."

John tightened his grip around her, not allowing her to budge. "What's the rush Devon? 'Lonz and Julia are in the best position to get that information. You know, you don't have to be directly involved in all the decisions around here. Are you that anxious to get away from me?" He smiled and stroked her hair as he teased her.

She began to relax as she held his gaze, the tenderness in his voice allaying her concerns. Rather than protest, she joked back, "Don't remind me, you're the person who made all the decisions in my absence. I practically had to steal my group back from you."

He grinned naughtily, "I don't think it's _your_ group anymore."

She reached up to push a few stray curls away from his eyes as he pulled her face closer to his. "As to wanting to get away from you--" He leaned forward to cover her mouth with his before she could protest.

XXXXXX

Devon was lying on her cot, unable to sleep. Unfortunately, this was becoming routine. As her physical body grew stronger, her thoughts started to keep her awake at night. No matter how much she chided herself about her behavior, she couldn't keep those unbidden concerns out of her mind. It was driving her crazy. She didn't understand why this was happening to her for she'd never been one to dwell on circumstances she couldn't control. She'd considered that one of her strengths. So why was she now spending her evenings dwelling upon her fears?

Getting the group safely to New Pacifica to set up the colony, the arrival of the colony ship, and the identity of the person who had poisoned her were some of concerns which plagued her. She'd even had nightmares about them. In the most recent one, the colony ship miraculously appeared on the horizon above them. After a moment of jubilant cheering by the members of Eden Advance, the ship exploded in a sickening burst, casting debris all about.

Normally she could handle these types of situations. Any head of a multi-orbit firm knew that progress couldn't be made without venturing forth in this fashion. She'd even enjoyed 'playing the game' for her instincts were finely honed and she usually came out on top. Perhaps it was the fact that the stakes were higher now; people's lives were involved rather than simply money or jobs.

However, the fact that someone had gotten so close to her, that they had tried to kill her, had ultimately dented her self-confidence. For once she felt vulnerable. This being new territory for her, she wasn't sure how to employ damage control. She became convinced that resolving this question would help her regain her equilibrium and allow her to sleep nights.

Telling John about their theories regarding her illness hadn't changed anything, but it had made her feel better. When Julia and Alonzo returned to camp the next day, she was going to consult with the doctor about other tests which could be performed. Surely there must be some sort of microscopic residue of the delivery system within her body which could be detected by more sensitive tests. She was more than willing to undergo the discomfort of the assays, since not knowing the truth had been slowly gnawing away at her. She'd been relieved by John's firm stance that no one in the group could've poisoned her. Now, if she could just completely convince herself of it, to get rid of that nagging feeling within her.

Of course, making love in the clearing with John hadn't been part of her plans. She was shocked by her behavior, normally she wasn't such an impulsive person. While she was allowing herself to admit to her feelings for John, a physical relationship between them was best put off, at least until they established the colony. Yet, today she couldn't help herself. Afterwards, warning bells had clanged loudly within her. She didn't need more things to worry about. Her experience with her former husband made her leery of romantic liaisons. But...it had been wonderful. So wonderful that they'd made love a second time in the meadow and she half wished she'd invited him to join her in her tent that evening, since for the duration of her illness, her son had been bunking with Yale.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts - what was she thinking? She wasn't some love struck teenager - was she? She didn't want to move that fast. She had many other responsibilities to take care of.

"Mom! Mom!" Uly called as he ran into her tent and over to her cot. She sat up to hold her son.

"What's wrong,Uly?"

"It's the Terrians. They don't want us to take the pass."

She hesitated, hoping she misunderstood him. Assuming a soothing tone of voice, she asked, "What are you talking about Uly? What exactly did the Terrians say?"

He sat down on the edge of her cot, beside her. "Well, it was more like a feeling."

"I see," Devon replied as she put her arms around her son and began to stroke his hair. To calm him down, she asked gently, "Are you sure honey? I know sometimes the Terrians can be hard to understand. Why don't we check with Alonzo in the morning?"

Uly was still upset. "What are we gonna do Mom? The Terrians are our friends. I don't wanna do something that they don't want us to."

"I don't want to do anything like that either. Let's just calm down. We'll check with Alonzo as soon as we can, okay?" Judging his shaken appearance, she added, "Wanna stay with me tonight?"

He nodded vigorously and curled up beside her. After she covered him up with the blanket, he fell asleep within minutes. She held him closely, for she'd missed being this close to her son.

Had her son simply misunderstood the Terrians? Now she really wasn't going to be able to sleep.

XXXXXX

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

The Road Not Chosen

By Joan Powers

Chapter 3

As the sun began to set on the horizon, a soapy dish slipped out of Morgan's hands and splashed back into the tub of water. His attention was directed towards the people gathered by the camp fire, rather than the task at hand.

"Morgan!" His wife complained as she wiped the trickle of water off her cheek with the back of her hand.

As an afterthought, he mumbled, "Sorry." Then he craned his neck towards Julia and Alonzo who were most likely discussing their scouting findings with Devon, Danziger, and Yale.

"Morgan," Bess admonished him. She knew what he was up to.

With a look of feigned innocence, he claimed, "What?" Seeing that his wife didn't believe him, he explained, "I just wanna know what's going on. That pass is just around the corner. We should be reaching it tomorrow. But look at their faces - something's wrong."

Bess glanced over to humor Morgan, then she realized that he was right. So she urged her husband to hurry so they could finish cleaning the dinner dishes then both go join the discussion.

As the couple walked over to the group, who were seated on logs and crates about the camp fire, they heard Alonzo speaking. "The lake and the stream aren't water. They're acid."

Danziger turned towards Devon and commented with a wry grin, "We've seen this before."

She rolled her eyes in agreement as memories of that experience flashed through her mind. "Alonzo, did you see any Terrians around that area? When John and I were at the other acidic lake, they wouldn't let us approach it." The pilot shook his head.

"It was some sort of power source. We saw them energizing their staffs there. It's pretty potent stuff - it destroyed the canteen I lowered into it." Danziger explained to the others.

Morgan interrupted, clearing his throat to attract the other's attention, "Ahem. Excuse me, but what's the problem? We don't have to go directly through this stuff - do we?"

"Since the stream isn't very wide, we were just discussing that we should be able to rig some sort of bridge to cross it safely. But the Terrians were openly hostile about us approaching the other lake. They shot at John and I, knocked us out, then tied us up," Devon curtly explained.

"But Alonzo said he didn't see any Terrians here. So what's the problem?" Morgan insisted.

Devon sighed impatiently, "Last night the Terrians told Uly that they didn't want us to use the pass."

Morgan's eyes widened with disbelief, "So, our best chance over these mountains and you don't want to take it based on your kid's dream?" Devon shot a withering look towards the government liaison who quickly tried another tactic, "I mean, c'mon, I know he can talk with the Terrians but he's only nine. Couldn't he have made a mistake?"

"Of course that's a possibility," Devon begrudgingly admitted. "But Alonzo has similar feelings."

"_Feelings_?" Morgan turned towards Alonzo, "Do you have any facts? Did they come right out and tell you that we shouldn't do this?"

Alonzo's jaw tightened as he barked towards the man, "How many times do I have to tell you? It's not that simple."

"Alonzo, can you tell everyone what they _have_ shared with you?" Devon asked.

"All I can say is that they've been trying to show me something on the Dream Plane. I don't understand it yet, but it's important. It may have something to do with this area, it may not. But when Julia and I drove the Rail directly to the neck of that pass, it didn't feel right to me."

"Are those plants you discovered dangerous?" Devon turned to Julia.

"No." For the benefit of Morgan, Bess, and the others who'd joined them, Julia explained, "After we got out of the Rail and crossed over the stream, the floor of the valley was covered with these unusual vines. They're close to the ground, and have dark red leaves. It's really quite a site - I've never seen anything like it before. We didn't investigate any further at that point, I wanted to test out those plants first. So far, my tests on the leaves show they don't contain anything potentially harmful to us."

Baines joined in, "So it'll be okay for us to drive over them. What's holding us back?"

"We have to remember that this isn't our planet. We can't forget that. If the Terrians don't want us to go this way, we might want to consider alternate routes," Devon defensively snapped.

Yale gently reminded her, "According to our maps, there aren't any Devon. At least there aren't any without a significant detour from our ultimate destination which could add at least a month or more to our travel time. Unless the river's course alters significantly, it blocks any southern routes. Since it's so wide and acidic, we can't attempt to cross it. As you know from your scouting trip, the northern route doesn't look promising either. And we might encounter poor weather during our search."

"Why don't we organize a scouting team to investigate this pass?" John suggested. Dodging Devon's outraged look, he continued, "At the same time, we can send another party on a week long scout to check out our options further along the southern or northern routes." Several people agreed with him.

"We can't do that. Not just yet. We're not sure if Terrians want us to go there." Devon objected over their voices.

"She's right. As much as I hate the thought of spending more time traveling, I don't wanna rush into a situation that we don't fully understand. We should give them a few days to communicate with us," Alonzo added.

Close by his side, Julia said, "I agree. There's still a lot we don't know about this planet."

Morgan pointed out, "But we don't have any other information about this place. You yourself said that the Terrians haven't told you anything specific over the Dream Plane. At this point, we don't have any other options. Shouldn't we at least check it out? It's stupid to throw away this opportunity based on what we _think_ may happen."

Danziger uncomfortably cleared his throat, "I'm afraid I have to side with Morgan. I don't see what the harm would be in sending a few people to scout ahead."

"Really?" It took Devon a moment to disguise her disappointment about his comment. Then she vehemently argued, "What if the Terrians are warning Uly that this area is poisonous to us? What if there are Terrians here who are just as protective of their power source as the others were and they harm the scouting party?"

Without hesitation Danziger answered back, "That's the point Devon. We don't know. Sitting around waiting for God knows what to happen won't help us. I say we send some people in. I'm volunteering to go."

Devon's mouth hung open a moment, then she quickly regained her composure. "We can't do this. We owe it to the Terrians to wait and give them a chance to tell us more before we go exploring. Can't we at least do that? Don't we owe them that?"

"C'mon Devon, what do we owe the Terrians now?" Baines asked.

"My son's life. And my own."

Her statement effectively silenced the group. For despite their objections, no one could challenge those facts. Without the Terrian's assistance, Ulysses Adair would most likely be dead, and Devon Adair would indeed still be frozen in a cryotube on the abandoned Venus class vessel, with little hope of ever being awakened from her deep slumber.

"Okay. We wait a few days," Danziger mumbled as he walked away.

XXXXXX

"Morgan! What're you doing?" Upon entering her tent, Bess discovered her husband stuffing some clothing into his pack.

"I'm tired of waiting around. I'm gonna take the ATV and check out that area myself. By the time I get back, the Terrians may've gotten through to flyboy, or at least I'll be able to prove that it's safe to travel there."

Bess stared at her husband in total confusion. "Wh-What? What's going on?"

Morgan tenderly grasped one of her hands and guided her to sit down beside him on their cot. Seeing the fear reflected in her eyes, he put his hand on her shoulder and began to explain, "Bess, let's face it. I don't belong here. -Not that I don't belong with you...it's more that I don't have the skills necessary for surviving in this wilderness. A fact I'm reminded of _every single day_. I'm tired of feeling useless. At least on the Stations, while I wasn't the best in my field, I was a hell of a lot better at it than foraging for food in the middle of some desert."

Her eyes began to cloud with tears. "What are you saying Morgan? Are you that anxious to get back to the Stations? With...or without me -?" The latter part of her statement was almost a whisper.

"No! That's not what I mean. You know I didn't especially want this assignment, but when the government asks you to do something, you don't have much choice. Yet, as you keep reminding me, once we finally reach New Pacifica and establish the colony, there will be new opportunities for us. Things we could never have or do on the Stations." He turned to hold both of his wife's hands and gaze into her eyes, "I am really glad this horrific experience has brought us closer together." Bess smiled warmly towards him and gently squeezed his hands. "It's just...the point I'm trying to make is that once the colony is established and the trappings of civilization have returned, I'll be able to fit in better. My skills will be...um...more appreciated, and I won't be some awkward, clumsy third wheel. Or at least, my flaws won't be as glaringly obvious to everyone else."

Bess objected, "Honey, it's not like that. You've grown since we've crashed here. You've already contributed to the group in many ways. Remember? You're the only person who was able to trade with that Grendler for the saliva which saved Baines and Danziger's lives. And if you hadn't released Franklin and Elizabeth from those cold sleep chambers--"

"And managed to kill them along with the other members of their crew."

"No! We _all _would've died. You're also the only person who managed to break the codes to access all the information in the main computer at Independence colony so Julia could learn more about Devon's illness."

He reminded her, "Bess, Devon didn't have the same disease as those people. The information was useless."

"No it wasn't! It helped us learn about those colonists and the mistakes that they made. Julia says she's still studying Elizabeth's notes and learning more about this planet. She thinks that information will help us survive here. And Yale says the data you downloaded about Eve's programming could be extremely useful."

He smiled meekly towards his wife then put his arms around her to draw her into a hug. "Thanks," he whispered into her hair since her face was pressed against his chest. After a moment, he added, "But I still have to go."

Bess turned to look up at him, "_Why_?"

"Because with each delay, I feel like I'm going _nuts_. Bess, I have to _do_ something."

"But Morgan, um...of all of your skills,...scouting isn't one of your best," she diplomatically phrased.

"True. It's not something I want to, it's something I _have _to do. I can't just sit here waiting when we could be on our way to New Pacifica. You heard what Yale said, an alternate route could add at least a month to our travel time."

"Then I'm coming with you." She resolutely stated.

His eyes lit up as he considered the idea. "As incredibly tempting as that sounds..." he sighed, "I'd better go by myself."

"Morgan!"

"Hey, I need somebody here at camp to report back to. Someone who really cares about _me_. If something would happen to me, you'd know my status - the last time I checked in and my exact location." Morgan swallowed hard, he was having difficulty buying this argument himself. But if anything were to happen to Bess, he couldn't live with himself. She'd be safer at camp. "I know I can count on you honey."

XXXXXX

The twin moons shone brightly in the night sky as John Danziger hunched over, peering into the guts of the Transrover, to tinker with an adapter valve. Of course, since he'd neglected to bring an appropriate work light, he could barely see what he was doing, but it was a handy excuse for hanging around the outskirts of camp, and avoiding Devon. She was upset with him so he thought he'd give her some time to simmer down before he tried to talk to her.

So much for that strategy, he could sense her angry gaze before she announced her presence. Quickly glancing over his shoulder, he could tell that she was debating whether or not she should approach him. To the others, she would've appeared to be the same cool and confident woman they'd come to know, but it was evident to him that she was aggravated and a bit confused. He decided the issue for her, wiping his hands on a cloth then walking towards her. He offered a weak grin, which was met by a cool stare.

Since they were alone, and he'd always been a direct person, he got straight to the point. "Devon, I'm sorry. Just because I care about you doesn't mean that I'm going to agree with you all the time. Would you really want that?" She didn't respond. He tried to grasp her forearm, but she yanked it away from him. "_Hey _-- we have to talk about this," he said, with some irritation.

"After all the Terrians have done for us, how can you still doubt them?" she accused him, in clipped tones.

He retorted, "It's easy. I don't understand them. They're not like us. Sure, the diggers saved your life -- which I'm grateful for, don't get me wrong on that. But we had to stick our necks out for them first before they'd do a thing to help us. It was the same with Uly, they'd only return him after you promised to do something for them."

"It's not like that," Devon objected.

"_How would you know?_" His outraged tone caused Devon to turn in surprise to face him. "Were you there when 'Lonz and Uly searched the Dream Plane every night for over two months, begging them to help us? We got _nothin'_ from them, not even any information about what might've happened to you. They coulda cared less about our situation."

"If you don't trust them, why did you let my son visit those sick Terrians, all by himself?" she smugly replied.

His color rose and he began to shuffle his feet uncomfortably, "We were desperate, Devon -- ready to try almost anything at that point. I already told you about all this after we brought you back to camp. I fought tooth and nail against his going, I thought it was too dangerous. An unacceptable risk. But the camp voted on it, and for a nine year old kid, Uly stood firm." His voice became softer as he remembered, "You'd have been proud of him, he's just as stubborn as you are. Man, waiting for him outside of that cave just about killed me. I was imagining the look on your face when I told you that something had happened to your son because of my stupidity."

"But everything worked out. _And, _you did exactly what I would've done," she answered more softly, making eye contact with him for the first time. Her eyes twinkled as she told him, "I think you do trust the Terrians -- a little."

John shook his head, attempting to deny her statement. "Uh, well--_regardless _what I think, we're not like the Terrians. We never will be; we don't think with one mind like they do. People in this group are gonna think what they're gonna think. Nothing you can do about that."

"I know that. But if we're going to survive on this planet, we have to cooperate," Devon stressed.

"We have been, Devon. I know you mean well, and you believe you're doing what's right for the group, but you can't control people. Maybe you could to some extent on the Stations with your money and position, but the rules are different here. People are gonna make up their own minds. And they won't always agree with you or do what seems right."

More agitated, she replied, "If we don't cooperate with the Terrians, we may never get to New Pacifica. We have to get that colony set up. Two hundred and forty eight families are counting on us."

John put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. As his face brushed against her hair, he was reminded of how much he loved the way it smelled. More tenderly, he reassured her, "We'll get there. One step at a time. We'll organize some scouting teams in the morning. That's all we can do right now."

XXXXXX

"So you checked our supplies?" Baines asked.

Walman nodded as he looked up from the Rail. "Everything's here."

"Looks like you're ready to roll," Magus whispered. It was long past midnight, yet the three were quietly loading items into the vehicle. "I still think you should've told Danziger what you're gonna do. He said he wanted to go."

Baines replied, "We've already discussed that. I hate to go behind the guy's back, but he's too close to Devon. I don't wanna put him in a bad position. It'll be better if he finds out at the same time as the rest. We just can't blow this chance to get across these mountains."

"Somebody's coming," Walman hissed, so the three ducked behind the vehicle.

"Morgan, you're gonna check in every few hours, right?" Bess's voice carried forward.

Baines, Walman, and Magus exchanged confused looks.

"Honey are you sure you don't wanna take the Dunerail? You could probably make better time."

"They'll need it for the other scout. I'll be fine." The two paused by the ATV, which was parked near the Dunerail.

With some reservations, Bess mentioned, "Maybe you should wait 'til morning. It is awfully dark."

Morgan nervously replied, "If I don't do this now, I'll lose my nerve."

"I believe in you Morgan. Just travel for a day or two to establish that the area's safe, that's all you need to do." Bess responded confidently.

"What the --" Walman's voice carried. Bess and Morgan froze as the others rose from their hiding places. "_You're_ gonna check out the passage?

"What's so strange about that?" Morgan asked. As he looked over towards the group by the Dunerail, he noted, "Looks like I wasn't the only one with that idea."

"Don't let it go to your head Morgan, but for once, you're right. There's not a good enough of a reason for us to sit around and wait." Baines explained. "So why don't you two go back to bed and let _us_ take care of this."

The government liaison considered it briefly then replied, "No...I _need_ to do this." Baines and Walman groaned. More resolutely Morgan stated, "I'm going. Which one of you is joining me?"

"_No way_." Baines protested. "I'm not gonna go into some unknown and potentially dangerous situation with _you_."

Morgan knew how to manipulate this situation. He craftily added, "Fine, so I'll just wake everybody else up to let them know about your plans. Then nobody'll go." Baines scowled.

Walman approached the Rail and firmly stated, "Okay. Get in Morgan. But _I'm_ in charge -- got that? Don't you forget it." He addressed the group, "We'll keep in touch via gear through Bess and Morgan's private channel. That way camp can't call us back in immediately, they won't know where we are; but someone here will know our location."

"How are you going to get the Rail over the stream?" Morgan smugly asked.

"I've packed a piece of dura-steel which we can lay across it. Alonzo thought it would work for the Transrover so it ought to be fine for the Rail." Walman answered. "Let's go."

Bess threw her arms around Morgan to give him a quick good-bye kiss, then the two men got into the vehicle and drove off.

After the men disappeared from their sight, Baines mentioned to Bess, "Remember, Magus and I don't know a thing about this. It'll be better that way. What are you gonna say about Morgan?"

"That he left me a message saying he didn't want to wait around and he'll contact me when he can," she answered.

"Think anyone will really believe that?" Baines and Magus laughed.

Bess shrugged her shoulders, "I don't care."

XXXXXX

Ah-ha! He was back. Back in the tunnels. The elusive bubble comprised of golden light, floated in the distance ahead of him, teasing him -- irresistibly beckoning to him. He began to jog to catch up to it. Though he couldn't detect a breeze, it was as if the shimmering object was being pulled along the corridor. As he rounded a corner, more bubbles, possibly from another tunnel branch, joined in. They varied in size and color. Giant turquoise ones, practically the size of bowling balls, glistened along with tiny twinkling ruby colored flecks, as minute of the head of a pin. Dark purple, emerald green, Mandarin orange, practically every color of the rainbow was represented. The intensity of their glow almost made him flinch, he wished he had his sunglasses.

He began to laugh out loud -- a hearty, boisterous sound. The sight of all those shimmering orbs filled him with a tremendous, almost euphoric, sense of joy. As he finally caught up with a silvery bubble, which was the size of his fist, he recklessly dove forward, face first, to grab it. The instant his fingers made contact with its filmy exterior, his earlier sense of well-being seemed almost trivial in comparison. He was flying! It was like his experience in the Terrian bed, but even more intense. The giddy sensations overwhelmed him.

The walls of the tunnel about him faded to images of the planet's surface as he began to soar above the landscape of G889. He was flying -- over the deserts, the mountains, the forests. At this rate, he felt as if he could traverse the entire planet and still be fully energized. He could do anything, he was invincible!

He attempted to control his direction, bringing to mind an image of the ocean at New Pacifica. In response, his surroundings became cloudy. Another jolt of excitement stabbed through him, was he about to see their new home?

Before he could determine if he'd been successful, he blacked out.

XXXXXX

"Alonzo! Alonzo!" Julia shouted as she vigorously shook the pilot who lay motionless by her side on their cot. She jumped up to dash for her medical equipment as he came to.

"Julia?" he groggily responded. He was disturbed by her appearance, her face was extremely pale. He stumbled with his words, "Wuz wron'?"

"Don't move." She frantically scanned him with her diaglove. In a panic, she breathlessly explained, "Your heart beat and respiration rate have shot up dramatically. Your system can't handle much more of this. I'm gonna have to give you a sedative to get your system calmed down."

"But...I hafta tell ya--" The hiss of the hypodermic silenced his statement.

XXXXXX

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 4

(Bess Martin)

_The thought of Morgan, all alone in the wilderness, had frightened me more than I was willing to admit. I was relieved that Walman was going with him on the scouting trip, but it was still painful to watch my husband drive off into the unknown without me._

_I wondered about what Morgan would find out there. I agreed with him that there didn't seem to be a valid reason to hold back from the investigation. Yet, in the back of my mind, some worries remained. Was there any credence behind the dreams of a nine year old child or Alonzo's instincts? Would my husband make it back to me? _

_Why was he even doing this? He didn't have to prove anything to me. Then again, maybe that was the point. Despite the trials that we'd already endured on this planet, perhaps Morgan felt he had to prove something to himself._

XXXXXX

Walman took a swig of water from his canteen, then placed the container on the back seat of the Dunerail. Looking up, he impatiently shouted over to his companion, who was in the bushes, "Let's go Martin!" Within half a minute, Morgan joined him. "About time" he sarcastically commented. The government liaison ignored the jibe as the two men climbed into the Rail.

Walman started driving. "You know, except for these weird red vines, this place looks perfectly normal to me. I don't see what the big deal is. There's no sign of any diggers and we haven't had to go anywhere near that lake."

Morgan answered with a loud yawn.

"Geez, do you have to keep doing that?" Walman scowled.

"Doing what? Hey -- I didn't get much sleep during our so-called break this morning. Those stupid plants are bumpy and _not_ comfortable." He glared towards the other man, who grinned slyly in response.

"Guess I'm not as sensitive as you are. Why didn't you just pull some of the vines out of the ground?"

"Why didn't I think of that?" Morgan responded sarcastically. "Of course I tried that, those things are stubborn. They wouldn't budge. I got some sort of weird powdery stuff all over my hands. I think I'm allergic to it, I feel itchy." He proceeded to roll up his shirt sleeves to display his flushed forearms.

Walman grunted, "I _don't_ wanna hear about this. The doc said the leaves weren't harmful and she didn't say a thing about any 'pollen', so don't worry about it."

"Easy for you to say."

Walman started to respond, then thought better of it. He turned his attention to their surroundings as he drove the vehicle through the valley which meandered between the mountains and through a forest of pine trees. "Let's scout ahead for at least another full day or so. No use bringing the whole group out here only to run into another dead end."

"For once, I agree with you." Morgan leaned back to settle himself more comfortably in his seat.

Other than traversing the creek in the wee hours of the morning, the two men hadn't run into any impediments. Parts of the valley had been covered with fallen rock and debris, but there'd been more than ample space to maneuver the vehicle. They hadn't encountered many animals but edible vegetation abounded in the area.

The only unusual features they'd found were the hardy crimson vines which covered every inch of the ground; they practically served as a carpet. Their sturdy leaves were large, almost the size of the palm of a man's hand, and darker maroon veins ran throughout them. The stems resembled a member of the tuber family, yet they were much sturdier. In fact, even though the Dunerail had torn some of the leaves, none of the plants were up-rooted. As Morgan had discovered, the plants were firmly anchored in place by an elaborate root system.

The men traveled in silence for a while. Finally, either curiosity or boredom got the best of Walman. "Hey Morgan,"

"Yeah?" The government liaison forced open his drooping eye lids.

"Why did you insist on coming on this scout? Are you that desperate to get back to the Stations?"

Morgan furtively looked towards Walman. Sensing that the man's request contained a trace of sincerity, he replied, "At this point I'd settle for _any_ form of civilization. I'm sick of living like a gypsy - packing up and moving everyday. The sooner we get to New Pacifica and I can at least live in a room which doesn't have nylon walls, the better. Besides, I think Devon's over-reacting. I get tired of her, 'I'm the Boss, I know what's best for everyone' routine. Especially after the stunt she pulled a few weeks ago. If anyone else had done that, they'd never have heard the end of it from her."

Walman eagerly jumped to her defense, "You're not being fair. You'd have been a little stir crazy too at that point if you'd been cooped up in your tent for over three weeks."

Morgan snorted and added a sarcastic, "Right. Anyway, do you seriously think I'd be out here if I thought we'd be in danger?"

The other man smirked, "True. But she may be right."

Somewhat unsettled, the government liaison responded, "Based on what? Uly's dream? Besides, we haven't had any trouble yet...Why did _you _decide to come if you thought she might be right?"

"Figured it was worth the risk. You're being too hard on Devon, she's been through a lot these past few months. And she usually tries to do what's best for the group."

"Uh, yeah," Morgan replied, lacking conviction.

Walman swallowed his annoyance and tried to direct the conversation elsewhere. "You gonna stay after the Colony ship arrives?"

Morgan pursed his lips and thought a moment. To his surprise, his wife's words immediately came to mind. _New opportunities._ _A new life for us._ "I..don't know. A lot could happen between now and then." Memories of their escape from the Station, and the horrible crash came to him. More thoughtfully, he added, "A lot already _has _happened."

Walman heartily agreed, "That's for sure."

More to himself, Morgan mumbled, "Even back on the Stations, I knew the Council was trouble but I never thought they'd actually try to kill us."

"Think they'll be waiting for us at New Pacifica?" Walman asked, grimly.

Horrified, Morgan groaned, "Christ Walman, are you trying to make it impossible for me to get any sleep these days? I don't even wanna think about that. "

"Doesn't mean it can't happen." He grinned, taking pleasure in the other man's obvious discomfort.

XXXXXX

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 5

"Is it possible Julia? Or do we have to wait?" Devon intently asked the doctor, who was seated on a camp stool across the Med-Tent from her. Noticing that the young woman seemed distracted, she checked, "Is everything all right? You don't look well."

She responded evasively, "I..didn't sleep well last night." Sensing that the older woman didn't believe her, she added, "Okay, I'm a little worried about Walman and Morgan."

"Me too." With some irritation, Devon continued, "I can't believe they took it upon themselves to investigate that passage. Without telling a soul either. I find _that_ hard to believe. Bess knows more than she's telling us."

"What are you going do? Send people in after them?"

"No, that might make matters worse. I've been trying to convince Bess to get them to return on their own, as soon as possible, once they make contact with her again. She says they were okay this morning. I think they'll come back soon." She frowned as she added, "Still, they're not responding to any of our hails. Who knows what they might be encountering now." With some urgency, she asked, "Has Alonzo gotten any more messages from the Terrians? I haven't seen him today."

Julia turned to finger her clipboard, "Um...no, not really. Nothing that makes any sense, that is."

She sighed, "This is so frustrating. Uly says the Terrians warned him again last night. This time they specifically said not to use that pass. No reason, just don't use it."

The doctor faced Devon, "That's strange. Why would they tell this to Uly, but not to Alonzo? They've usually spoken to us through him." Tentatively, she asked, "Are you sure Uly's not reading more into this than there is? I know he's eager to help but he is new at this. And he does have an active imagination..."

Devon chuckled in response. She was fully aware of her son's talents in that respect. "He claims the Terrians he helped cure are the ones dreaming to him. Supposedly he has a special bond with them. He says they 'talk' differently and that they're even escorting us to New Pacifica. Does any of this make sense?"

Julia's eyes widened as she remarked, "He may be right. Uly did forge a unique relationship with them." She remembered those creature's pitiful cries. "They've already gone out of their way for us, by healing you. And they do have a reason to be grateful to Uly."

While Devon was suspended in her cryochamber, the group had discovered the deserted remains of Independence colony, a settlement built at least fifty years earlier by another group of human refugees from the Stations. As Eden Advance proceeded to investigate the village, everyone had terrible nightmares. Uly's dreams and his introduction to a young boy who happened to be at that location, had lead him to discover a group of quarantined Terrians. Exposure to radiation from the Independence colony's nuclear waste site had damaged their skin and impaired their ability to interact with their mother "Earth" and other Terrians. Those Terrians were nearly insane, driven half mad by their lack of spiritual nourishment. They were also unable to communicate with Alonzo.

Yet, somehow, they'd been able to recognize Uly's biological link to them. So they dreamed to him, pleading for the help which their own species was unable to render. Through Uly's persistence and bravery, Dr. Heller was able to study the creatures and design a compound to reverse the damage done to their epidermis. The therapeutic agent had acted quickly, within days, one of the members of that group appeared to Julia and revealed to her the poison lodged in Devon's cells. Those same Terrians then escorted Uly, Julia, Danziger, and Alonzo back to the Venus class spacecraft to revive and heal Devon.

"Okay. But why wouldn't the other Terrains give Alonzo the same message?" Devon asked, with some suspicion.

"I wish I knew," was the doctor's soft response.

"If you see Alonzo before I do, tell him I need to know everything that he's experiencing over the Dream Plane. We have to put all these pieces together to make more sense of this situation." Devon urged.

"Um, okay..." The doctor's professional guise slipped back into place, "Now --let's get back to what we were talking about before. It's possible to do more tests to search for residue of the poison delivery system in your body. But I'm not gonna lie to you Devon. They're not pleasant. Most would involve you ingesting several compounds, which would be pretty vile, then you'd have to lie very still for a few hours while I methodically probed you with my scanner. Nausea, cramping, dizziness would all be practically guaranteed side effects. Are you sure you don't want to wait to do this until we reach New Pacifica? There ought to be some better scanners on the Colony ship which could make the tests last only an hour or two rather than almost an entire day."

Devon was firm in her reply, "No. Besides, the longer we wait, the more likely it is that evidence will be destroyed. The southern scouting team may be gone for over a week, and Morgan and Walman ought to be returning soon. Rather than just sitting around waiting, I'd like to get some answers."

"Of course, you realize that we may not find anything," Julia sternly advised.

"Of course."

Julia tried one more tactic, "Since you're finally starting to feel better, are you sure you're up for this? As your doctor, I think it would be advisable to let your body continue to strengthen before undergoing such a procedure."

"No. I want to do this. Let's plan on doing it tomorrow." Considering that discussion done, she changed the subject and asked, "Have you had any thoughts about our other...idea regarding my illness?"

Taken off guard, Julia replied, "Huh? Oh -- not really."

Lowering her voice and moving closer to the doctor, Devon half whispered, "Doesn't it seem strange to you that Morgan Martin is on an unauthorized scouting expedition?"

"True, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's a spy. I don't think we have any substantial reasons to suspect any one at this point. Morgan can be annoying, but...a spy set out to kill you? I don't think so. I'm just as bothered as you are by that possibility, but we have no indication that this may've been the case. All we can do is keep our eyes open."

Devon began to pace about the tent, "Have you learned anything more about those bio-stat implants?"

"I've been reading about them from the Independence data bank information and Elizabeth's records. At this point my biggest concern is figuring out ways to get them safely out of our heads but I'll need more sophisticated instrumentation to conduct additional experiments. Hopefully the Colony ship or some of our other cargo pods will have what I need. Right now, if something were to happen to Eve, we'd be in big trouble." The two women paused, each dwelling on her own fears regarding the unpredictable nature of the Council satellite which orbited G889.

Thoughts of Eve prompted Devon to ask, "Have you ever been able to account for why Morgan saw Franklin in VR?"

"I wish I knew Devon. I'm just as frustrated as you are by our lack of answers. I can't explain half of what I see on this planet. Personally, I think Eve was broadcasting to Morgan over VR to lure him over to the ship to revive Franklin and Elizabeth so they could repair her."

"Okay. I_ think _that makes sense. Does that mean that Eve can jump into VR, at will, whenever she feels like it?"

"I'm not sure. It's possible, considering the fact that she was also able to project the image of Reilly to me while we were in the supposed black-out zone."

Another thought occurred to Devon, "Could Eve manipulate us using those bio-stat implants in our heads?"

A crease appeared in Julia's forehead as she considered the idea. "I...doubt it. If she could, why did Reilly go to all the trouble of trying to get me to reveal our location to him? Why bother to create Reilly at all? She could've simply 'programmed' me to give up that information...and do other things too. So far, Eve has only tried to reach us using images on virtual so I doubt that she could manipulate us on the subconscious level. The prototype implant was designed to monitor basic life signs - such as heart beat, respiration, EKG activity, and relay this information to the computer. Though, we are dealing with a presumably 'new and improved' version... which is hooked into our neural network; and I'm not sure what exactly caused that horrible feedback which made us so sick..." The blonde doctor bit her lip nervously as she imagined unpleasant possibilities.

To try to lighten up the mood, Julia added, "You know, Morgan doesn't agree with my explanation about Franklin's VR appearance to him. He has some bizarre theory that what he experienced had something to do with a 'link' between Franklin's subconscious mind, the Dream Plane, and VR. He thinks that subconsciously, Franklin wanted to be released from the limbo of suspended animation, so he himself sent the message. Of course, that's the extent of his explanation, and he has yet to offer any sort of proof to support his claim. But he's completely convinced that he's right."

Devon cracked a weak smile and began to giggle. "Hope I didn't send any 'messages' while I was in suspended animation." She started giggling louder and Julia joined in, even though she hadn't thought what Devon said was especially funny. Suddenly the two women couldn't stop laughing. When the fit began to subside, one of the women would look at the other, and it would start anew. As they cackled, the tension within each them began to dissipate.

Finally, Devon said, while wiping tears from her eyes and gasping for air, "I guess we needed that."

"You're right." Julia agreed. The doctor turned to start organizing her equipment for the next day's test. As Devon approached the entrance of the tent, Julia quickly asked, "By the way, when did you realize that you didn't have a bio-stat implant?"

Devon froze, the lines of tension rapidly returning to her face, "Julia...I _never_ told anyone that. I only guessed it because I wasn't in pain while you, John and Yale were screaming in agony as we were fixing Eve. Is it true? And if it is, how did _you _know this?"

Julia was confused by her reaction, "But...Danziger was so certain. You _must've _told him. Maybe when you first collapsed, or later when you rejoined the group? You were pretty groggy." Devon firmly shook her head. "I guess you'll have to ask him about it." Wanting to change the subject, in a lighter tone, she added, "Speaking of John, is there anything else you need to talk with me about? As your doctor...?" She began to grin knowingly.

"Well..." Devon's pale face turned red.

Julia let her off the hook,"Danziger stopped by yesterday. Congratulations."

XXXXXX

After waiting for what seemed to be a decent interval, or at least a sufficient amount of time not to run directly into Devon, Julia slipped out of the Med-Tent to search for Alonzo. The pilot had been pretty dazed that morning but insistent that she tell no one about his Dream Plane experiences until he himself could figure them out. The entire episode had left her with an uncomfortable feeling. She'd never seen Alonzo react in such a fashion during a visit to the Dream Plane, his breathing had become so ragged last night it'd woken her up. God only knows what might've happened to him if she hadn't shaken him to wake him up then given him a sedative. She swallowed hard, then plastered on a congenial expression as she passed Denner and Mazatl, who were gathering firewood.

His behavior had seemed unusual to her as well. Why was he being so secretive? After all, this message was supposedly for the whole group, something which would affect everyone. It was almost as if he didn't want to share it.

She peeled back the flap of their tent to peer inside. Nothing. She was getting annoyed. Where _was _he? His condition had improved significantly by morning, but he still needed rest. He had the oddest gleam in his eyes as he told her about the glowing bubbles and the tremendous surge of energy he'd experienced when he touched one. He kept murmuring that he had to go back -- despite his weakened condition, despite her objections. She'd made him promise not to attempt such a thing unless she could monitor him, but knowing her headstrong young pilot...

"Hi Julia!" Uly called. The young boy was practicing his karate kicks in a clearing by her tent.

"Hi Uly," she responded in a distracted fashion. "Have you seen Alonzo?"

"No. Have the Terrians told him anything about the pass?"

Julia stopped, "Not really." More intently she asked, "What've they told you?"

"Just that we shouldn't go there." He answered as he tried another kick.

"Not bad. You're getting pretty good at those." She praised his form as she stepped closer to him. "Have you asked them about anything else? About other routes we could take through these mountains?"

"I can try again. They didn't say much the last time." He answered eagerly, earnestly wanting to help.

"Is there anything else you remember? Anything at all?" she prodded.

He grinned, "You sound like my Mom."

Feeling a little silly, she tried to prompt him. "Anything about _bubbles_?"

He looked at her strangely, "Huh?"

Julia bent to ruffle his hair, "Don't worry about that. See ya later, kiddo."

XXXXXX

Finally she discovered Alonzo lounging in a nearby meadow which was filled with wildflowers. She grinned as she settled down beside him on the ground. She gave him a friendly poke on his arm, "Hey there, you're a hard fellow to find." He groaned as he opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. His disappointed expression lead her to ask, "Aren't you glad to see me?"

He grumbled, "Of course. It's just that I've been trying to get back to the Dream Plane and I keep getting interrupted."

Rather than taking offense, she sternly responded, "I thought we agreed that you'd wait for me to monitor you."

Alonzo insisted, "Come on Julia, the Terrians won't let anything happen to me. And now that we have two men in that area, we need to find out what they're dealing with."

"Has there been any news?"

"Bess says they're fine and that they're planning to return soon. They're convinced that the passage is safe to travel. Some of the others in the group are starting to believe it too."

Julia frowned. "That conclusion may be a bit premature. But I'm glad they haven't run into any problems." More cautiously, she asked, "What do you think happened to you last night? I've never seen anything like that."

"I don't know. It's part of some bigger picture. Something vital to this planet." His eyes glazed over with a far away haze.

"Do you think these 'bubble' chambers actually exist, or are the images merely symbolic?"

"Don't know doc. Maybe you can give me a sediderm to put me under. I'm getting nowhere otherwise," he urged.

The subtle pressure he was exerting made her reluctant to drug him, so she stalled, "Maybe it's because you're too tired. You bypass REM sleep. That was the only way to avoid the nightmares at Independence colony -- remember? Besides, the sediderm doesn't always work to bring you there."

With obvious disappointment, he agreed, "You're probably right. I just want some answers Julia. You of all people know what that's like. All the times I've watched you working away over half the night, trying to solve some problem. I can't even count the number of times that I've had to pull you away from your work. Or that I've found you asleep over it, with your head on top of your lab table. Do you think it's been easy for me to watch you wear yourself out? But I know your work is important to you, so I've tried to be supportive. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, that _I'm _the one who's trying to put most of my energy into solving an important problem, you're acting like something's wrong with me."

Julia's cheeks became flushed as she realized that he was right. She hadn't considered his point of view; and in the past many times she'd been so absorbed in her own work that she may've even taken some of his support for granted. Laden with guilt, she replied, "I'm sorry. I'm just...concerned." She leaned forward to grasp his hand. More softly, she added, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

Alonzo laughed gently and tenderly said, "Now you know how it feels. Don't worry doc, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily. Wanna take a nap?" With a knowing glance, he gestured to the ground beside him.

She smiled. "Very tempting flyboy. But if I stay, I don't think you'll get any sleep. And I need to check some calculations then synthesize some compounds for tests I'm performing on Devon tomorrow. I'd better take a rain check on that offer. Tonight?"

"Your loss." He grinned.

XXXXXX

Hidden behind some rocks on the far side of camp, under the cover of darkness, Bess spoke into her gear. "What was that Morgan?"

He yawned loudly, "I'm sorry. I'm really tired. Other than that, we're fine. There are no Terrians, no Grendlers, no..." Another yawn interrupted his statement.

"Why are you so tired? Are you getting sick?"

"I dunno. Probably just bored. All this driving. And Walman's not the most stimulating travel companion. He thinks he's so funny with his asinine jokes." His expression began to brighten, "This is it Bess. Our ticket through these blasted mountains. We haven't run into any problems. We've found the way."

She smiled, "I'm so proud of you. You've been so brave, venturing forward to protect the rest of us. You've proven that it's safe for us to use that pass. So when are you coming back?"

"Walman wants to scout ahead a little further, just to be on the safe side. So we're gonna drive a little further west tomorrow, then probably head back the next day."

More softly she added, "I miss you."

He yawned. "I miss you too."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 6

Finally, the pilot began to stir on his cot as Julia cautiously examined him. She only had a few minutes left before she had to re-join Devon to start the tests, but she wanted to see how Alonzo was -- and find out if he'd had more dreams. "Well...?" she anxiously asked as his eyelids fluttered open.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Alonzo sat up and rubbed his temples.

"No Dream Plane? Or no bubbles?" She searched his expression for clues.

Irritably, he said, "No, _nothing_. You're gonna have to give me a sediderm. I have to get back there." Despite the fact that he'd just woken up, he was determined to get what he wanted.

"Did you even sleep well? You don't look rested." His eyes were bloodshot and his face seemed pale beneath his bronze suntan. Yet there was more to it, something else about him seemed different to her. It bothered her. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

A bit sharply, he snapped, "I'm fine. I have to get back there."

"Okay. But not right now." Alonzo scowled. "Today I'm doing some tests on Devon which will take up most of my time." Before he could protest, she added, "Maybe you're trying too hard. Why don't you do something totally different today -- take a break then try again tonight. If you still feel that you need the sediderm, I'll give it to you _then_." Very sternly, she reminded him, "I _want_ to be there when it happens. Understand?"

The pilot nodded half-heartedly.

XXXXXX

In the Med-Tent, Devon sat nervously perched on the edge of a cot; she was clad only in a long white cotton bath robe. She wrinkled her nose, for the unpleasant taste of the solution she'd drunk twenty minutes ago still lingered in her mouth. Not an appetizing flavor, but...doctor's orders, she'd forced herself to swallow the entire dose then wait for the drugs to take affect. Currently she wasn't feeling any different than usual.

Danziger stormed into the tent. His face turned noticeably paler as he took in her apparel, and he began to rant, "What do you think you're doing? This is crazy! I can't believe Julia's going along with this. It's too soon!"

Trying to sit still, she curtly explained, "We have to do this now. If we wait much longer, any traces of the poison delivery device in my body may be completely degraded."

"You don't know if you're gonna find _anything _Devon. Even if you do, it's not gonna change what happened to you. The only thing these tests can definitely do is make you sick again. It's not worth the risk. This doesn't make any sense. You _must_ see that."

Her voice became louder to match his, as she defensively shot back, "You're exaggerating. I may feel worse, but only for a day or two -- at most. This is the only way I'm going to get any answers. I have to do this."

"No you don't." John firmly objected, glaring at her.

With her typical stubbornness, Devon opened her mouth to continue the argument but sudden uncomfortable cramping in her gut prompted her to change tactics. Trying not to draw undue attention to herself, she carefully wrapped an arm around her midriff to steady herself; as she motioned with her other hand to the empty camp stool beside her. Reluctantly, the mechanic moved toward it to sit down.

Devon took a breath to calm herself, and in a gentler tone replied, "Okay, I _know_ this doesn't make complete sense. These tests could make me sicker. And if something were to happen to Morgan and Walman in the next few days, I wouldn't be in a position to be able to help them. But I've convinced Bess to talk them back in. _Soon_. And...I _have_ to know, John." She reached for his hand and interlocked her fingers between his. "It's a gamble but it may give me an answer. For my own piece of mind, to be able to sleep better at night, I have to know. I know that it doesn't make sense to you, but can you please support me in my decision?" Gesturing to the nearby empty cup, she indicated, "We've already started." She grinned weakly towards him but he didn't smile back.

Danziger had calmed down some, but he was still annoyed with her. "When were you gonna tell me what you were doing? Or was that _not part of your plan_? The only reason I'm here at all is because I ran into Julia a few minutes ago. She assumed that I knew all about it."

She blushed, "Oh." Once again, she'd inadvertently hurt the man she'd grown to care so much for. Awkwardly, she tried to apologize, "Um...I guess I should've talked with you about it last night." Defensively, she explained, "I'm not used to checking with someone else about decisions regarding my personal life. I tend to make them then tell others the results after the fact. I'm...sorry." He didn't respond so she added, "I was also afraid that you'd react like this, that you'd try to talk me out of it."

"Yeah? Funny, I thought I _was _part of your personal life. How would you feel if I -- What's wrong?"

Devon suddenly grimaced in pain while bending over to clutch at her abdomen with both arms. She weakly gasped, "I'm all right. It's the drugs Julia gave me for the tests. She said they might have this kind of effect." Her face grew paler as she began to grit her teeth and shut her eyes while another cramp ran through her. "I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

John pulled his stool forward so he could be closer to her. Securely holding her hand, he swallowed his annoyance and murmured, "It's okay. I'll stay with you until Julia gets here."

XXXXXX

True Danziger tore out of Yale's tent as soon as he mentioned the word 'break.' School was okay, but she got bored after sitting so long. Sprinting across camp, she nearly collided with Bess, who was carrying a bundle of clothes.

"Hi Bess, what are you doing?" The young girl greeted her with enthusiasm.

"Just gonna take advantage of this stop to wash some clothes. Wanna keep me company?"

"Sure." She fell in step beside the older woman and they began to walk through the woods towards a small non-acidic pond adjacent to their camp site. "Have you heard anything from Morgan?"

"Yeah. He's a little tired but he says that they haven't run into any problems. They're traveling much faster than we've been able to for the past few weeks. Morgan says it's great!" She beamed with pride. "Baines reported that they haven't found any break in the river along the southern route yet. He and Magus are gonna keep moving for a few more days, but I think Morgan's shown us the best way to continue on to New Pacifica."

True was excited by the news. "Great! Are we gonna drive out to meet them?"

"No. We'll probably re-group here first. Baines and Magus will be gone for at least five days."

She was surprised, "Why are they going that far? Haven't Walman and Morgan shown everybody that the passage is safe?"

Bess sighed, "_Some _people are being a little paranoid. So we'll have to give them some time to warm up to the idea."

Of course, Bess conveniently neglected to mention to True (or to any one else) that Morgan and Walman hadn't checked in with her that morning. She'd waited, anxiously huddled in the clearing for over an hour, but they'd never called or answered her hails. She was a practical woman, growing up as a miner's daughter had made her that way, so she wasn't overly concerned.

Last night Morgan was exhausted when she spoke with him. They were traveling at a much faster pace than usual for the Eden Advance caravan. It was highly likely that the men had overslept (_especially_ knowing Walman) and simply missed their check in. And now their gear was turned off, as per their agreement. Since they didn't want to be distracted by communications from the other members of Eden Advance, their gear would only be activated at their appointed meeting times: early morning and evening.

Besides, the men had been fine during their first day of traveling. Surely if the Terrians planned on behaving aggressively, they would've already done so. Walman and Morgan had already passed the acidic lake. Morgan claimed the strange red plants were giving him a rash, but their doctor had tested the leaves and indicated that they weren't harmful to humans.

So what was there to worry about?

In addition, Bess didn't want to prejudice the group against using the passage by prematurely jumping the gun and claiming that something had happened to the men when in all likelihood it was only a false alarm. Especially since some of Eden Advance were already biased against her husband. Why add fuel to that fire? She also didn't relish the idea of adding another month or more onto their current travel time table, which their other options automatically included.

She told herself that the men were fine, there was nothing to be concerned about. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to making contact with her husband later that day.

XXXXXX

"Let me get this straight. The stuff you gave Devon to drink will interact with certain materials in her body which you'll be able to detect with your scanner?" Danziger remained close by Devon's side.

Dr. Heller replied, "Something like that. Yale and I used his data base to deduce possible materials which may've been used to construct the drug delivery capsule. Then I synthesized agents which would interact with them, or their break down products. These complexes will emit a characteristic signal that I can detect with my scanner. I'm assuming that we're dealing with microscopic quantities here, since my scanner alone hasn't picked up anything. Thus, I'm using these drugs to 'enhance the signal.' It's almost the equivalent of searching for a needle in a haystack."

Sensing Danziger's objections, she quickly added, "But we stand to gain valuable data. The actual scanning will take several hours and Devon won't be very comfortable, but I ought to get some very detailed information about the location of _any _inorganic material in her body."

Devon asked, weakly,"So when will you have some answers? Tonight?"

"Oh no! Today will be just collecting the data, it'll take a while for me to interpret the information and draw any conclusions. It's a complicated procedure."

"Uh-huh..." Danziger mumbled, with displeasure.

"Any other questions?" the doctor asked.

Looking at Julia head on, Danziger asked, "Have you ever done anything like this procedure before?"

She swallowed uncomfortably, "Um...no. But it looks promising. I honestly think this will work."

John turned to Devon, "Are you sure you want to do this? You already look terrible."

Softly, she answered, meeting his blue eyes, "Yes, I'll be all right. Keep an eye on Uly and the rest of camp for me?"

"Okay," he smiled then squeezed her hand. "Let me know if you need me, doc."

XXXXXX

Despite the fact that it was only one o'clock in the afternoon, Alonzo lay prone, stretched out on his back in the middle of the meadow, a short distance away from base camp. The lines of tension rimming his mouth and eyes had eased considerably as he slept. To a casual observer, it appeared that the young pilot was simply indulging in a little sun worshipping while taking a short nap. His eyelids were closed yet his pupils were moving rapidly beneath them. A sediderm applicator was nearly concealed beneath his body, where he must have collapsed on it. Dr. Heller had been concentrating so intently on whatever tests she was performing on Devon that it'd been easy for him to snatch what he so desperately felt he needed. His chest rose and fell rhythmically and a sly smile crept across his lips as he once again dreamt with the Terrians.

His peaceful state didn't last long. A thin layer of sweat began to cover his brow and his heart began to beat faster. Yet a tranquil expression remained upon his face.

Minutes later, his breathing became labored, he started to wheeze. As he began to experience even more difficulty breathing, his heart rate accelerated - faster and faster...

"NOOOO!" Alonzo gasped hoarsely, as he momentarily regained consciousness then fell back into oblivion.

XXXXXX

As twilight turned to darkness, Walman and Morgan proceeded, almost mechanically, to set up camp. They'd performed the ritual so many evenings during their extended journey across the continent that neither man actually had to think about what he was doing. Within fifteen minutes, they'd prepared a camp fire and erected a crude shelter, since the nights were getting cooler.

It'd been another successful day of traveling; there had been no obstacles, natural or artificial. Only the ever present pine trees and rocky cliffs surrounded them. They hadn't seen many animals; in fact, some of deer-like creatures they'd seen were huddled in a heap -- frail and on the verge of dying.

Yet the men lacked their previous days' enthusiasm. Each was quiet; perhaps after almost three days of each other's company, they'd grown accustomed to one another. Or more likely, they were worn out after traveling all day. By late afternoon, Walman had even refrained from teasing Morgan about his newly revealed fears of meeting up with the Council at New Pacifica; an activity he'd derived great pleasure from earlier that day.

After checking in with Bess via gear, Morgan wearily collapsed by the camp fire. Walman tossed him a spirolina bar, and the two began to eat dinner. Conserving his energy, the government liaison curtly conveyed the results of his conversation with his wife to the other man. There wasn't much news from base camp. Dr. Heller was doing some sort of tests on Devon, and the southern scout had been uneventful thus far.

Bess was miffed that they'd missed their morning check in, but it wasn't intentional, they'd overslept, just as she suspected. Both men were feeling a little under the weather, experiencing some minor flu-like symptoms -- congestion and body aches, but they weren't about to report that to Bess. She was convinced that the men had successfully proven that the area was safe to travel in, so her requests for the men to return were becoming more insistent.

In response to the government liason's report, Walman simply cocked an eyebrow and claimed that they'd return when they were ready. And somehow, he didn't feel ready; he didn't want to return just yet. He didn't take his responsibility towards their group lightly; he wanted to learn as much as possible about this area before bringing in the others.

Oddly enough, even though only minutes ago Morgan had promised his wife that they'd be returning the next day, he didn't object to Walman's firm stance. He merely continued to munch on his bland bar.

Shortly after polishing off their meal, the men made themselves as comfortable as they could beneath their blankets (on top of the omnipresent vines) and promptly fell asleep, just another night on the trail. Yet, unlike the previous evenings, neither man had broached the subject of tomorrow's travel route, performed any maintenance work on the vehicle, or even established a night watch.

XXXXXX

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 7

(Bess Martin)

_I was concerned about Morgan being so tired, yet I was extremely proud of him. I knew how hard it had been for him to even consider such an undertaking as that scouting trip. Like Morgan, I was tired of listening to others laugh at my husband, or make jokes at his expense. I wanted him to enjoy being the hero, for him to have_ another _moment of glory. _

_I was also becoming annoyed by those who had doubts about him. If fact, if Alonzo or Devon, or even Danziger had taken off in a similar fashion, I'd bet that the group would've supported their actions. It didn't seem fair. Why would Eden Advance trust the vague hunches of a select few but not those of my husband? What made those people so special?_

XXXXXX

Dr. Heller rose to stretch her legs, they'd become stiff from remaining in the same position for such a long time. She began to pace about the Med-Tent to attempt to revitalize herself. Her blue eyes were rimmed with exhaustion, and her blonde hair was pulled back abruptly from her pale face. Once again, she approached her patient and ran a diagnostic scan with her diaglove. Even before checking the read out, she was fully aware of what it would tell her. No change.

Her patient was still in a coma.

Always the logical person, she knew she should get some sleep. She'd been awake nearly twenty-four hours after working all day on the tests, then monitoring her patient most of the night. While those types of hours weren't entirely unusual for her (she never would've made it through Medical School otherwise), her emotional involvement with the case was starting to sap her strength. She chided herself for being so stubborn; it wasn't as if staring at her patient was any known type of effective medical cure. Twenty-four hours hadn't even elapsed yet, a hopeful sign. Still, she was reluctant to desert her post.

For in her heart, she was afraid that the situation was her fault.

After spending most of the night rehashing the facts in her mind, she conceded that the warning signs were all there. Being a qualified professional, she had no excuse -- they were textbook signals, she _should've _recognized them. Regardless of her training, even just knowing her patient as well as she did, she should've recognized them. She was aware of the potential risks. She should've _insisted_ upon doing things her way. But, she guiltily tormented herself, she'd been too caught up in the excitement of her own projects, too focused on her own objectives.

Her forlorn gaze remained fixed upon her lover's nearly motionless body. She grasped one of his hands and squeezed it in a vain attempt to communicate with him. His skin felt cool and clammy to the touch. In a tone filled with false levity, she tenderly cajoled, "C'mom flyboy. You said you wouldn't leave. You wouldn't break your promise -- would you?" Her last words were almost a whisper, as she choked back a sob which threatened to emerge.

Early in the evening, shortly after she'd completed her tests on Devon, True's screams had drawn the attention of the entire camp. She'd brought them to a meadow where she'd gone after dinner to pick some flowers. The little girl had been terrified to discover the pilot's unconscious body. As the members of Eden Advance rushed to his side, only Julia noticed the derm-applicator which she unobtrusively slipped into her pocket.

To her shame, initially she was angry. After she'd been so firm, making him promise (not once, but several times) to wait on her before he attempted to return to the Dream Plane. After she'd emphasized the potential dangers of the situation to him; he'd deliberately gone ahead and done it anyway. He'd even stolen the sediderm, practically right from under her nose. She was almost livid.

How could he have done such a thing? After it'd taken so long for her to cautiously lower her guard to trust him and allow him into her life, his actions stunned her. He knew how important he was to her. Granted, Alonzo tended to act impulsively, moving in before fully analyzing situations, but he'd given his word -- he'd promised! Had she been naive to think that he'd changed for her? That she was different from the others?

She'd known of Alonzo's reputation back on the Stations; like many of the other cold sleep jumpers, he was a womanizer. A man who'd never made good on a promise made to any lover. That was one of the reasons she'd held back when Alonzo originally expressed an interest in her - she didn't want to become another conquest in the army of dozens.

Yet her feelings of anger and betrayal were rapidly transformed into fear. Based on the empty ampoule in the applicator, she estimated that the dosage of the sediderm should've knocked him out for several hours. He should have revived around midnight, yet it was almost six o'clock in the morning. The amount of sedative in his blood stream wouldn't have induced the coma. Her stomach tightened with fear as she realized that something must've happened to him on the Dream Plane.

Whatever the Terrains had been trying to share with Alonzo for the past few days, it had already affected him -- even prior to yesterday's experience. During her seemingly unending evening of retrospection, she realized where she'd previously seen the look in Alonzo's eyes, and heard the tone of his voice as he became more obsessed about returning to the Dream Plane and more insistent about using a sediderm to do so.

It'd gotten worse over time, that morning he'd practically behaved like another person. Regardless of their circumstances, Alonzo was typically pleasant in the morning. And while they'd had their disagreements in the past, she'd never seen him so surly and so singularly focused upon getting what he wanted as he'd been then.

The look in his eyes haunted her. It reminded her of the alcoholics and drug users she'd treated while on rotation in Med. School. Addicts. People who'd do _anything _for the substance they so desperately craved.

Alonzo hadn't intentionally broken his promise to her. Whatever force he'd encountered when he'd visited the Dream Plane in this area, or contacted that mysterious 'bubble', was more than he could handle. It had clouded his judgment such that he was no longer in control. She should've realized it sooner. She should've recognized the imminent danger and refused to leave him alone.

She sighed. Her self-recriminations weren't helping Alonzo. But what else could she do? She was reluctant to share his Dream Plane experiences with the others, since she'd promised him that she wouldn't. Trust was a valuable commodity, something that wasn't easily earned. She didn't want to jeopardize Alonzo's trust, especially with her own checkered past. Yet his life could be in danger. Would the circumstances justify violating her word?

Her mind continued to race, trying to make sense of the situation. What _had_ actually happened to him? Unlike his previous experience, she hadn't been there to pull him out when his physical body became stressed. Was the coma simply his body's reaction to the overload of stimuli from touching the 'bubbles'? Then presumably he'd wake up once his body had a chance to recover. Or had the sediderm he'd taken complicated matters, making it impossible for him to pull out of whatever he was experiencing? Causing God only knows what kinds of damage to him?

Regardless of whatever had happened to him, his brain waves indicated that presently he wasn't on the Dream Plane. Otherwise she would've been more than willing to try to crash it herself to rescue her beloved pilot. Yet, that wouldn't have worked. While Devon had been able to visit the Dream Plane to search for her son, her solo effort wasn't successful, she'd required Alonzo's assistance.

Who could help her? Yale, her usual fountain of information, had limited resources regarding the unusual nature of the natives of planet G889. Alonzo was their only resident Terrian expert and liaison.

Still, there was one other. But she couldn't dare to think about it. How could she attempt to involve a nine-year-boy in a potentially dangerous situation? Especially when his mother was incapacitated from the tests she'd recently endured and was unable to offer much counsel.

What was she going to do?

XXXXXX

"Mom, are you getting sick again?" Uly hung near the edge of her cot, his voice wavering with fear. His mother was lying flat on her back, just as she had after they'd brought her out of the cold sleep crypt, only three months before. Her eyes lacked their sparkle and her complexion was ghostly pale.

Hovering close by, Yale tried to reassure his young charge in soothing tones. "Uly, this is only temporary. You'll see, your mother's going to be just fine."

With effort, Devon weakly reached for her son's forearm. She croaked, "That's right." She cleared her throat, "Julia did some tests to _help _me. I don't feel well now, but I'll be okay in a few days."

"Did Julia do tests on Alonzo too?" he asked with concern.

"_What_?" Devon turned to try to meet Yale's gaze but he hastily grabbed Uly's shoulder to usher him out of the tent.

"Come Uly, your mother needs to rest." He escorted the boy to the tent flap then added, "I'll be with you in a few minutes. Now go."

"I'll be back later Mom."

Devon tried to boost herself up to a sitting position but a sickening lurch in her stomach interfered with her efforts. "Okay Yale, what happened?" When he didn't respond immediately, she added, "C'mon, I _know_ something's going on."

To her surprise, Yale looked at her with sympathy. Then he began to chuckle and reply, "You always were a stubborn little girl. You look awful. No wonder poor Uly is frightened. Are you pleased that you pushed Julia so hard to do these tests?"

Uncomfortable and embarrassed, Devon retorted, "They had to be done." To slam the door on any attempts to continue that topic, she stated as firmly as she could manage, "I _don't_ want to discuss it."

With a sly grin, he dryly responded, "I see. Now I suppose you have a better understanding of Dr. Heller's reservations."

Even though she felt miserable, she recognized a diversion when she saw it. Fear and adrenaline pumping through her enabled her to respond more sharply. "I can deal with this. _What happened to Alonzo?_ "

His smile turned into a somber expression as he pulled up a camp stool and sat down beside her cot. "You always were difficult to keep things from. Last night, True found Alonzo, _unconscious _in a meadow."

Momentarily she closed her eyes and sank back against her pillow, "Oh my God." Taking a breath, she asked, "Is he okay now? Maybe we're not alone here? Are there penal colonists or ZED's out there?" Once again she tried to sit up, but Yale reached over to prevent her from doing so.

"Calm down Devon, our perimeter scans haven't revealed any intruders. Unfortunately, Alonzo's in a coma."

"Oh no," she sighed.

The teacher explained, "Julia says she doesn't know what caused it, or how to bring him out of it."

Becoming more agitated, Devon wondered, "Maybe the Terrians are upset about Morgan and Walman traveling in the valley. Perhaps they've violated an area that's sacred to them and they're taking out their anger on Alonzo."

Yale considered her idea. "I don't think so. That's not consistent with the ways that we've seen the Terrians behave. Unless threatened, they tend to be non-aggressive. And even then, they have been direct about their intentions. If they were upset with Morgan and Walman, I think they would deal with them rather than Alonzo."

With mounting anxiety, Devon emphasized, "Regardless, we've gotta get those men back in Yale."

"Bess has assured us that they are returning."

"We also have to alert Baines and Magus to the possibility that we might not be alone here."

"Devon, we're already on it. Everyone's doing their part. Everyone except you." She stared at him. "Your job is to recover your strength and not create _more_ problems for us to handle." He poured some water into a metal cup then took some tablets out of his pocket. "Julia gave these to me for you."

She eyed them suspiciously, "What are they for?"

"To help you with the nausea and cramping, and to help you rest."

Devon protested, but not as energetically, "I can't go to sleep Yale, the group may need me."

Yale helped her to sit up then placed the pills in her palm. He insisted, "Devon, we're doing all that we can. Take your medication and get some rest."

She examined the small brown pills before reluctantly placing them into her mouth. She took the cup from Yale to drink some water to swallow them.

"He's right Devon. I couldn't have said it better myself." Danziger's deep voice joined in as Yale helped her back to her resting position.

Yale rose, "I'll be back later with more news. Get some sleep." After nodding a greeting towards Danziger, he lifted the tent flap to exit.

Danziger assumed the other man's seat. Gently laying a hand against her cheek he asked, "How're you doing?"

The discussion with Yale had nearly worn her out. She responded with considerably less enthusiasm, "I'll survive. Tell me more about Alonzo."

"At this point, there's not much to say. The doc's doing all she can. I've doubled our camp guards and sent out armed search parties in groups of two, just in case. The kids aren't to leave camp."

Devon stubbornly tried to move, but it was a losing battle.

Danziger tried to reassure her, "We're handling the situation the best that we can. Hopefully 'Lonz will come out of it soon, and Walman and Morgan will return so things can get back to normal around here." Changing the subject, he added, "You look terrible."

"Thanks a lot. You really know how to compliment a person," she half yawned.

More tenderly, he responded, "Get some sleep Adair, okay? It gives me the creeps to see you like this so soon after that last experience. You gotta get well --_soon_."

She smiled weakly, "I'm tryin'. I guess I can trust you to take care of things in my absence."

"You bet."

Looking into John's blue eyes reminded her of how much she'd grown to depend upon him, and trust him implicitly. In her absence, he'd managed to keep Eden Advance together and focused on their goal of reaching New Pacifica. He'd even treated her son as his own and had begun to form a special relationship with him. As hard as it was for her to trust others, John had definitely made inroads into her life.

As Devon's eyelids started to droop, he rose.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

She fought her drowsiness, for a question that'd been bothering her flashed into her mind, "How did you know that I didn't have a bio-stat implant?"

His body noticeably stiffened. He averted his gaze and didn't respond immediately. "Uh...it's kinda... a long story. Another time?"

She was intrigued, there was even more to this than she'd thought. Otherwise, why was John so uncomfortable? Yet, thanks to those dratted pills (and her outburst with Yale), she was about to fall asleep, so she decided to let him off the hook. _For now. _"Okay."

XXXXXX

"Julia! He's moving!" True excitedly called over to the doctor.

Julia grabbed her diaglove and rushed over as the pilot began to stir. After scanning him, she broke out into a grin as she examined the readout. "He's out of the coma! And there doesn't appear to be any major damage." Tears of relief welled up in both their eyes.

Alonzo groaned.

Leaning closer to him, Julia smoothly relayed, "It's okay. You're all right now. You probably feel pretty weak, but you're gonna be okay."

He opened his eyes.

"Alonzo?"

He stared ahead as if he didn't see her, or hear her voice.

"Can you hear me?" She leaned closer to meet his gaze.

"Julia?" True stood close by, ready to assist. Dr. Heller ignored her, concentrating on her patient.

As Alonzo began to focus on his surroundings, he gasped, "They threw me out! I can't _believe _they did that!" His voice became deeper and more strident, "I have to get back there. Don't you see? The answer is there -- _all_ the answers are there." Despite his weakened state, he grabbed Julia's wrist tightly and demanded, "Give me another sediderm so I can go back."

True froze in place, horrified by the pilot's behavior. He didn't even sound like himself.

Julia was frightened as well and her wrist was beginning to ache, but she tried to reason with him. Keeping her voice level, she explained, "You're not ready to go back. You need to rest and recover your strength. If the Terrians did throw you out, they may've been trying to protect you."

He disagreed, "No, they're keeping it from me. They've changed their minds. They want to keep it all to themselves." With his other hand he attempted to grab Julia's upper arm so he could use her body to lever himself up to a sitting position. The doctor drew back as far as she could, her wrist still held hostage.

"True, get help!" Seeing that the young girl was motionless, she emphasized, "_Now_!"

XXXXXX

Should she or shouldn't she?

The question tormented her sleep deprived brain. Julia thought she'd hit rock bottom last night as she kept watch over Alonzo, but tonight she felt even worse. He wasn't the same person. He was out of the coma but he was exhibiting obsessive personality traits. He didn't appear to recognize anyone, not even her. All he spoke about was his anger at the Terrians and his frantic obsession to return to the Dream Plane.

Presently he was physically too weak to move from his cot without assistance, but in his current frame of mind she didn't trust him. Especially after he'd bruised her wrist so badly. Danziger and Cameron had secured him to his cot with restraints, and established a guard; measures that sickened her but were deemed necessary by the others at camp.

Upon reaching a decision, she left her tent to look for Uly. It didn't take long for her to find him. Conveniently enough, he was by himself. She half-heartedly tried to convince herself that this was a sign from the cosmos, validating her plan. She steeled herself, and took a deep breath as she approached him. He was poking at the edge of the communal evening camp fire with a stick. She sat down on a dead log beside him, "Uly, can we talk?"

The child turned pale, frightened by her serious tone, "Mom?"

"No! Your mom's gonna be okay. We have to let her rest for a few days but she's gonna be all right. It'll just take time." Julia reassured him.

"What do you want then?" The child was confused and preoccupied with his mother's condition.

She hated to burden him but after she'd run through all the possible scenarios in her mind, she felt as if this was the best option. She was going to be completely honest with him. "Um...Uly, I need your help. I know it's a lot to ask of you. You're only nine years old. But I think even you know that you're not an ordinary boy, not after all you've been through on this planet. You have a special connection to the Terrians. What I'm going to ask you has to stay between you and me, for now anyway - okay?"

"Why?" He asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Uly, have you ever made someone a promise?" He nodded. "Well, I promised Alonzo I wouldn't tell anyone about his recent experiences on the Dream Plane. I don't want to break my promise, but he's in trouble. I think the Terrians in this area have been trying to show him something that's pretty important, and it's affecting him. I don't think they mean any harm by it, but it could cause some serious damage to him."

"I can talk with them. I'm sure they wouldn't want to hurt Alonzo," Uly volunteered.

Julia objected, "No! Uly, it could be very dangerous. What I'd like you to do is simply ask _your_ Terrain friends about this area. Ask them if there's something special about it or about the Terrians here. Perhaps you could tell them that Alonzo's been acting strangely, and you could ask if they have any ideas about what might be causing this. Maybe even ask them about the bubbles."

"Bubbles?" He frowned.

"Yeah, bubbles."

"Okay. Julia, is Alonzo gonna be okay?"

Oh no. This was the absolute hardest part. Though she wasn't sure if it was because it was difficult to admit it to a young child or to herself.

"I don't know."

Uly stood, "I'll get started."

"Wait!" He complied. "Listen to me. Whatever you do Uly, _do not _go to see those bubbles or to that special place on the Dream Plane by yourself or with the Terrians. No matter what the Terrians say. Not under _any_ circumstances. Do you understand me? It's too dangerous. This is no game Uly, I'm telling you the truth. I'm not trying to scare you, but I want you to know what you're dealing with. Promise me - _no_ - swear to me that you won't let them show you anything. Your goal is to get some information which we may need to share with the rest of the group in order to help Alonzo. Do you swear that you'll only talk with your Terrian friends and not let them show you anything? "

"Okay, I swear. Guess it's like a secret mission -- huh? And I'm a spy - but the good kind." He grinned.

"Yeah Uly, you could say that."

XXXXXX

"Morgan, I'm scared. Strange things are happening at camp. I need you here - with me," Bess spoke into her gear.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." Morgan's image replied in a strangely hollow tone which lacked conviction.

Slightly irritated, Bess responded, "And when will that be? You've shown us that the passage is safe. You two don't have to scout all the way to New Pacifica. Stop this macho garbage -- you've done _enough_. You don't have to prove yourself to me, Morgan Martin, I already believe in you. And so does everyone else. We need you back at camp. Yale claims Julia did some tests on Devon but I'm afraid that she's had some sort of a relapse. And something horrible has happened to Alonzo. He was in a coma for almost twenty four hours, and now he's acting as if he's possessed by something. He almost broke Julia's wrist!"

"We're on our way," he mumbled.

Bess cocked her head. The words were what she'd been wanting to hear, but she wasn't relieved; the tone was wrong. Her woman's intuition prickled, immediately alerting all her senses. Noticing the dark circles beneath her husband's eyes, she asked, "Honey...are you feeling all right?"

Uncharacteristically Morgan tried to downplay his feelings, "I think I'm catching a cold. I'm kinda tired but I'll be okay."

She gushed with sympathy, "My poor baby! Is Walman catching this too?"

"I think so. But it's no big deal," he claimed. "We can deal with it."

"Has he been behaving any better?" Morgan didn't seem to remember what she was referring to, so she prompted, "Is he still making all those bad jokes about the Council, trying to scare you half to death?"

"Uh,no. He's been better today."

Bess took charge. "Tellhim that you're heading back to camp --_now_. You need to come back so I can nurse you back to health. Or better yet, let me talk to him."

Morgan protested, "Honey, I'll take care of this."

"Then I'll expect to see you back at camp in a day or two."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 8

Uly lay on his cot with his eyes screwed tightly shut, trying to force himself to fall asleep. Unfortunately, he was just too keyed up with excitement about his 'secret mission.' Like most children, with so many things going wrong at camp, he wanted to be able to help out. He'd been jealous that True had gotten to assist Dr. Heller more than he had, so he was extremely proud that Julia had picked him for an even more important task. He was dying to tell True -- brag about it like she had. He'd be sure to rub it in, later, after_ he _helped Alonzo get better.

He was a little uncomfortable keeping this from his mother, but he couldn't tell her anyway. Her medication had knocked her out for the rest of the day. Perhaps he should've told Mr. Danziger or Yale? He'd considered it, briefly, then he remembered that his mom had told him on his last birthday about how important it was to be able to handle responsibility, especially on this planet.

He turned onto his side and pulled his knees up to his chest. He was becoming discouraged -- would he never fall asleep? Then an idea came to him. He hopped out of bed and crouched down to the dirt floor of the tent. If he wanted to talk with the Terrians, he might as well act like them.

At first, maintaining the position was an effort, his muscles started to protest. So he tried to relax his mind as he called out to his friends. His breathing became more even as his efforts were rewarded. He could feel his body unwinding, he'd finally made it to the Dream Plane.

"Hello?" he called out. His voice sounded strange, echoing in an unfamiliar fashion. It took him a moment or two to adjust to his altered perceptions in that dimension. "Are you there? It's me."

No one answered him. He meandered about the cave as he waited, attempting to kick a few loose stones on the floor of the chamber. Nothing was happening. So he tried trilling.

Minutes later, four Terrians appeared from within the earthen floor of the cavern. Were they his friends, the ones that he'd helped save? He took a cautious step back, Julia had warned him not to talk with the others who may have harmed Alonzo. The appearance of pinkish patches of skin (rejuvenating epidermal tissue) on their bodies affirmed that they were his group -- the one that had followed Eden Advance since Independence Colony.

"Hi," he said somewhat shyly, as he approached them. The towering creatures still intimidated him. He cleared his throat and nervously stammered, "I...I need your help. There're problems at camp. Alonzo's sick -- he's acting really weird. Julia thinks he saw something on the Dream Plane that hurt him."

One of the Terrians emitted a series of high pitched sounds. While Uly wasn't able to understand all of it (their illness had altered their speech and language), he caught the gist of it. They wanted him to Dream with them.

He hesitated, Julia's warning was ringing in his ears.Yet he hadn't been able to explain to her that it was difficult to communicate with these Terrians using words. Even the Dreaming didn't always work, but it was the best method to convey information between the two species. The Terrians looked towards him expectantly.

He made up his mind quickly, bending his head to join them. After all, he was reasonably confident that these Terrians wouldn't harm him. If he stopped there, he wouldn't have any information to help Alonzo.

He opened his mind to show them the image of Alonzo on a cot, tied down by restraints, yelling with hostility. He also showed them the view of the valley (His Mom and Mr. Danziger had taken he and True to see it a few days ago) -- the stream in the foreground and the strange red vines in the background. He hadn't been able to reach them earlier to see if they could tell him more about the area.

The creatures hummed amongst themselves, then one directed him to reveal more about Alonzo. Uly's mind went blank. The pilot's unusual behavior was all he had seen; it had frightened him. He couldn't think of any other details, he didn't know any. Unless...Julia had mentioned something about strange about 'bubbles', which made no sense to him. In fact, she'd mentioned it twice. Feeling somewhat foolish, he opened his mind to create an image of a soap bubble.

His hosts began to trill among themselves, this they recognized.

"Can you tell me more?" he implored.

Their answer was a definitive, "No." One of the Terrians extended his hand to Uly, as if asking him to follow. "Where are you going?"

The creatures murmured.

Uly shivered, he thought they'd answered, "To see them." He grasped the hand offered to him as the group traveled through the wall of the chamber.

XXXXXX

Whenever Julia became stressed, rather than dwelling on her problems, she turned her energy towards her work. And so it was that night. Instead of lying in her bed, torturing herself about what might be happening during Uly's visit to the Dream Plane, she sought to learn more about Alonzo's condition. His physical body was weak but stable. Yet he was still acting unpredictably -- aggravated by everyone, and furious with the Terrians.

She leaned back from her monitor to stretch, as she tried to reconstruct the situation. She'd just finished skimming several texts about the chemistry of drug and alcohol addiction since his behavior had reminded her of patients' with those types of problems. But what could have caused his symptoms? He couldn't have ingested any chemicals, the Dream Plane wasn't that type of medium. What could have possibly been transferred to his body to create such effects?

The Dream Plane alone had never caused these types of problems for Alonzo. Thus, the only causative variable she could isolate was the mysterious bubbles. From the pilot's description, it appeared that his episodes had occurred just after physically contacting them. But how could they have manifested the physiological effects she witnessed?

Perhaps some sort of energy had transferred to Alonzo upon touching the bubble? Excess electrical stimulation could have caused some of the physical affects that she'd observed, but it certainly wouldn't account for all of them, such as what had caused his initial euphoria and his current altered emotional state. If only she could have studied his brain when the episode had started, to determine immediate changes in levels of critical neurotransmitters. That might have given her a lead to pursue. Examinations performed after the episodes had showed alterations in the levels of several biochemical factors but there were far too many changes for her to be able to assess direct cause and effect relationships. She needed additional information.

She walked across the tent to scan her sleeping patient with her diaglove. Thankfully, Alonzo had fallen asleep on his own and she hadn't been forced to make the decision regarding the use of a sedative. She scrutinized the read-out displayed by the instrument, but it didn't tell her anything new. Maybe she should just try to go to sleep, since she wasn't making any headway.

She bent to place the diaglove in its carrying case, when a thought came to her. She'd used that instrument on Alonzo during his first episode, when she'd woken him up. That data would be stored in the back-up file of the diaglove. She eagerly rose, carrying it over to her terminal to perform the appropriate data transfer operations.

Within an hour, she was able to identify several neurotransmitters which had elevated levels in Alonzo's blood stream at the beginning of the episode. Now...perhaps she could attempt what her references suggested, synthesizing a compound which would act similarly, but to a lesser extent. That way she could slowly wean him away from the addiction. Her fingers hit the keyboard with renewed vigor.

XXXXXX

"Bess, what are you doing up?" Yale called over from his seat near the dying embers of the camp fire. She came over and pulled up a camp stool beside him.

"I'm having trouble sleeping. What are you doing up so late?"

"I was working with Julia; we were trying to generate ideas for treating Alonzo. She has a theory which she is anxious to pursue, but I don't understand what evidence she's basing it on. I also want to check on Devon one more time before I turn in. So far, both of our patients have been sleeping soundly tonight."

"That's a relief." Earlier that day while Bess was assisting Julia, she had the unfortunate experience of being around Alonzo in his current frame of mind. At first her heart was filled with pity when she saw the handsome young pilot tied down to the cot with restraints. However, when she sat down beside him to offer him some food, he roughly used the side of his head to knock it out of her hands and voiced his displeasure, using expletives that made her blush. He didn't recognize her. Or anyone else, for that matter. It gave her the creeps.

It amazed Bess that even though Julia was obviously exhausted, she was still able to perform her duties so smoothly and professionally. Alonzo was her lover. If it were her husband in that situation, Bess wasn't certain if she could be that strong.

"How are your husband and Walman? Are they on their way back to camp?"

"I think so. They're all right. Just a little tired. They haven't run into any problems." She spoke more confidently than she felt. She was playing games, but she felt she had to. Some members of Eden Advance were opposed to Morgan and Walman's actions, and they looked for any excuse to call their mission a failure.

As she tossed on her cot in her tent that evening, reviewing her last conversation with Morgan, her instincts plagued her -- _something_ wasn't quite right. Morgan had been deliberately down playing his flu symptoms, which was totally unlike him. But, she rationalized, it was also unlike him to volunteer for a potentially dangerous scouting mission.

Yet, he'd also seemed vague, as if he wasn't sure what their travel plans were. A cold or the flu could account for that as well.

She was sorely tempted to confide in Yale, to share her concerns about her husband. It would've been a relief to hear the older man confirm that she was over-reacting and that the men would be home soon. But she couldn't do it. She wasn't sure which side of the fence Yale stood on. In addition, she couldn't compromise all that Morgan and Walman had worked towards because of her unsubstantiated fears. She had no definitive reason to compromise their mission. Despite her fears, her husband had to come first.

Yale practically scolded her, "You _have _told them about Alonzo's illness? Bess, while we believe something may have happened to him over the Dream Plane, we're not entirely certain. Outside forces may be involved. You've got to get them back here. If there are penal colonists or Council agents involved, we'll be able to combat them better as a group. Divided, we're extremely vulnerable."

So he was against her. A little sharply, Bess snapped, "I know that Yale. You don't have to convince me. What's the latest from Baines and Magus?"

"They're on their way. They turned back once we told them about the situation. Bess, _why_ did Morgan and Walman decide to go off on their own?"

"They did what they felt they had to do," she said, defensively.

"After all of our experiences here, do you honestly think that was a wise course of action?" He spoke to her as if he were reprimanding a child.

Bess stood firm, refusing to be intimidated. "Yale, in my 'experience', life is never easy -- opportunities don't always drop into your lap. Sometimes you have to be brave enough to make them."

XXXXXX

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

Chapter 9

(Bess Martin)

_Alonzo's odd behavior was scary. Unfortunately, with each passing hour, his condition showed no signs of improving. We could only comfort ourselves with the vague belief that he wasn't getting any worse. Yet, in a day or two, he'd regain most of his physical strength. In his current state of mind, I was scared to consider what _he was capable of _doing to get what he wanted. Even the typically calm Dr. Heller seemed worried about that situation. _

_Alonzo's condition had distracted me. Morgan was feeling poorly, but I told myself that it was just a cold, maybe even a light fever. He'd be okay. Relying on his own resourcefulness in the woods might even be good for him. I was anxious for him to return home to support me._

_I should've been more concerned about my husband._

XXXXXX

"Okay Julia, we're all here. What's so damned important that we have to discuss it before I could finish breakfast?" Danziger grumbled as he straddled a crate and pulled it up closer to the makeshift table, where he'd parked his mug of morning coffee. Noticing Uly's presence, he tactfully suggested to him, "Maybe you should go check on your mom?"

"No John, we need him here. He's part of this." Dr. Heller was firm. She took a breath and began to explain, "We have to talk about Alonzo. I think what's been happening to him is related to something he experienced on the Dream Plane. In order to develop a treatment for his condition, I needed to know more about what he saw. Uly volunteered to help me."

"Can I tell them about it now?" Uly interjected.

"In a minute." She turned to direct her comments towards Danziger and Yale. "For the past few days, the local Terrians have been trying to show Alonzo something over the Dream Plane. He didn't tell me much about his experiences because he felt it was extremely important to keep them private -- at least until he learned the entire story. To cut to the chase, I asked Uly if he could get us more information."

"Julia! How could you have acted so irresponsibly?" Yale gasped, "If the Dream Plane in this area affected Alonzo so drastically, just think what it might have done to a child."

"Don't you think I considered that? There's more to it than that Yale, just hear me out. Have a _little _faith in me," she objected with irritation. "All I asked Uly to do was to talk to _his_ Terrian friends. That's all."

Danziger turned to the boy, "What happened?"

"I met my friends. You remember, the tribe that we helped at Independence Colony -- the ones who cured my mom. They've been following us since they don't want to stay on the land that made them sick. They know there's something special about this area, but they can't tell me about it. They're not allowed to. Another tribe watches over it. So they took me to dream with those Terrians. They call them 'the guardians'."

"Ulysses, that could have been extremely dangerous. Those Terrians might be _causing_ Alonzo's problems." Yale admonished while glaring at the doctor.

The boy guiltily replied, "I know. Julia already yelled at me for disobeying her, she made me swear not to go see them."

"So why did you?" Danziger asked, his curiosity was aroused.

Lacking any delusions of grandeur or self importance, he simply stated, "I had to, otherwise Alonzo might not get better. They didn't mean to hurt him. They're confused about how he reacted when they dreamed with him. They won't give me their message. They say they have to finish the dreaming with Alonzo, but they aren't sure how to continue."

"I wonder why you weren't affected by your visit like 'Lonz was?" Danziger rubbed his chin as he thought.

"I think it's 'cause I'm part Terrain," the boy volunteered.

The mechanic considered it. "Could be."

Yale was trying to understand what Uly was saying. "So they want Alonzo to go back to the Dream Plane so they can finish their message to him?"

"Yeah," the young boy nodded.

"Is that advisable Julia?" Yale inquired, "Don't you think another visit would only make his condition worse?"

Obviously torn, Julia replied, "All of my medical knowledge suggests another Dream Plane experience could kill him. But Uly is convinced that his Terrian friends could help the two of them to complete the visit."

"How?" Danziger challenged.

The doctor explained, "Based on Alonzo's accounts, I don't think that the Dream Plane in general is harmful to him. He seems to be contacting a specific substance which is causing the harmful effects. After dreaming with the Terrians, Uly's given me some information which supports my theory. Now that they're aware of how it may be affecting humans, they could attempt to prevent him from contacting the substance. It might be worth a try."

"Why are we even considering this? Our first priority should be getting 'Lonz out of the woods. They should wait and tell him their message when he's better," the mechanic argued.

Julia countered, "That was my gut reaction too. But Alonzo's been so insistent about the importance of this message. He was convinced that it would help us learn more about the planet. At one point he thought it might even be some sort of test -- the Terrians telling us information about the planet, then waiting to see how we use it."

"We should focus on healing him first. Going back there could only make it worse." Danziger wasn't convinced.

Julia hesitated, "That's a possibility. But Alonzo and Uly both believe that the message is crucial for understanding that western passage that we're considering. The passage where two of our men are currently located."

"C'mon, those men haven't had any problems. That area appears to be perfectly safe. That's not an issue here," Danziger stated.

"The dreaming might help Alonzo get better," Uly said with sincerity.

"I don't know why, but part of me believes that too," Julia admitted.

Danziger disagreed. "My vote is still no. We shouldn't try it now. There's too much risk involved. Alonzo's not strong enough. The Terrians _might_ be able to protect him with using the information Uly gave them, but they might not. Do you wanna take that chance? What guarantees do we have? We shouldn't pursue this now. What do you think Yale?

The tutor answered, "I agree with John. Alonzo's condition is too unstable. We shouldn't push him. But if Julia could manage to stabilize him, then improve his condition, it might be worth pursuing."

Julia eagerly volunteered, "I think I've found a way. Contact with the Dream Plane substance triggered a specific biological response in Alonzo. I'm going to inject him with synthetic derivatives that will mimic some of those responses, but to a lesser extent. I'm hoping it'll relieve some of his symptoms, while not exacerbating the problem."

"Ahh, something like the old fashioned use of methadone with heroin addicts." Yale nodded with approval.

"Exactly."

Yale was encouraged. "That could be promising. Let me know when you plan to test it."

XXXXXX

"Morgan Martin, where have you been?" Bess snapped at her husband over her gear set. "I've been trying to contact you for over half an hour." She stifled a yawn. Since four people were out on scouting trips, and Alonzo and Devon were both out of commission, the remaining Eden Advance members were pulling double duty. She'd done her usual cooking and firewood collection, along with shifts of watching Uly and True, _and_ performing nursing detail. All of this, along with her nagging concerns about Morgan, hadn't been conducive for a good night's sleep.

"Uh, sorry," he stammered. He looked worse than yesterday. His face was flushed and his hair was unruly. But most disturbing of all were his eyes. Rather than the sparkle of wit and intelligence she was used to seeing, dull and unfocused orbs greeted her.

"Have you started back yet?" she asked impatiently.

"Back where?" He replied with a vacant expression.

"Morgan, don't play games with me. I'm not in the mood," she scolded

"Okay," he meekly responded.

Trying to reign in her temper, she mentioned, "I thought you said you'd started the return trip."

He had to take a minute to think about. "...Yeah, we did...yesterday."

A chill ran down her spine. She could always tell when Morgan was lying to her. But it almost appeared as if he himself wasn't sure of his actions that day or the previous one. Her stomach tightened in knots, "How's your cold? Are you drinking lots of water? Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Beth..er...Bess," he quickly correctly.

Did he actually just mess up her name? He must have a fever, she concluded. She'd seen signs of this yesterday. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she quickly devised a test to further examine his memory. "You know honey, I really miss you." She reached inside the top of her blouse to pull out the bait, her wild flower pendant, which she held up to her gear eye piece. "Do you remember giving this to me?" She made herself smile lovingly as she paused, forcing herself to wait for his response.

Practically everyone in the camp knew that pendant was a treasured gift from her father. In fact, Morgan had never cared for it. He'd been extremely annoyed that she'd traded with the Grendler using the jewelry that he'd given her, rather than that pendant. But it was all she had left to remind her of her father, who was light years away.

After a few moments, he tentatively answered, "Yeah, how could I forget giving that to you."

Swallowing hard, she told him in mushy tones, "Every time I look at it I think of you." She became more focused, "What are your coordinates Morgan? Read them off your gear for me."

"Why?"

"It's part of my job - remember? Keeping you safe, knowing your location..." Reluctantly he relayed the requested information. Her eyes got wider as she heard the coordinates but she didn't comment on them. With a hint of urgency in her voice, she asked, "Let me talk to Walman."

"Huh?"

"C'mon Morgan, put him on," she insisted.

"He's asleep. Why do you wanna talk with him anyway?"

"Go wake him up and have him contact me. I'll keep my gear on and stay on the outskirts of camp. Do it," she stressed.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Okay."

Her eyes became shiny with tears, "I love you Morgan."

"Love you too," he parroted.

XXXXXX

"What Bess?"

Julia hadn't been paying attention, she'd missed the question. She had joined Bess, Denner and True about the campfire, with the assumption that some friendly banter might distract her. Over an hour ago, she'd given Alonzo a compound which could soothe his 'withdrawal' symptoms -- _if_ there was any credence to her theory.

It'd been difficult for her to approach him to inject the substance, Cameron and Yale had to assist her. Even then she'd been afraid that the pilot would grab her again. Julia was literally counting the minutes as they sluggishly crawled by. Soon, she'd allow herself to return and check on her patient. It was a waiting game which she hated, thus she was lousy company.

"I asked if memory loss was associated with fevers." Bess clearly enunciated.

Automatically, Julia rattled off, "Certainly with a high fever. Delirious patients often have no idea what's going on around them. In fact, if the patient's body temperature doesn't decrease after a prolonged time period, some brain damage may ensue."

She re-qualified her question, "What about someone with a _mild _fever?"

Julia wondered why on earth was that woman asking those types of questions. Losing patience, she snapped, "Bess there are dozens of symptoms associated with multiple types of fevers. If you want an exact diagnosis, you'll have to give me specifics."

Bess frowned and didn't respond.

Trying to change the subject, Denner suggested. "Tell us about Morgan and Walman's latest report. I can't wait to get out of these mountains."

"Julia!" Cameron shouted, "Come here -- you gotta see this!"

The women rushed over to the Med-Tent. As they piled up at the entrance, they could see that Alonzo was awake, but a miraculous transformation had taken place. He was still restrained to his cot, yet the snarling, violent maniac had been replaced with a happy go-lucky Casanova.

Alonzo flashed his patented flyboy grin affectionately towards the women. He lifted his chin, beckoning towards Julia, "Hey gorgeous. Where ya' been? Gonna bunk with me tonight?" His words were slurred, as if he were drunk, and his body movements were slow and exaggerated as well.

Almost dizzy with relief, Julia sank down beside his cot and activated her diaglove to examine him.

Undeterred by her activity, the pilot flirted with her, "C'mon Doc, you know all work and no play isn't any fun. Giva guy a chance."

Cameron raised an eyebrow and tactfully suggested to the others, "Maybe we should leave these two alone."

Slightly red cheeked, the doctor eagerly agreed, "Yes -- I think I can handle this." Giggling amongst themselves, the others discretely slipped out of the tent.

Alonzo tried to move his hands beneath his restraints. "Why I am tied up? You surprise me Julia -- is this some sorta game? Prisoner and interrogator?" he asked with a broad suggestive grin.

"No." She quickly denied, as her color rose.

"Whadda ya gonna do to me if I refuse to talk?" he leered provocatively.

She was thrilled that the therapy seemed to be working, but she was having difficulty dealing with his sudden personality change. Her relief at catching a glimpse of the old Alonzo -- _her_ Alonzo, and her exhaustion threatened to cloud her judgment. She struggled to remain professional and stick to business, "How are you feeling?"

He cranked his infamous charm up another notch, "I'm great -- I feel wonderful. If I could just get ridda these restraints and have ya here beside me, everythin' would be perfect."

Even though he seemed inebriated, he was hard to resist. She had a compelling urge to loosen his bonds and head straight into the comfort of his arms. Instead, using every ounce of self-control, she forced herself to stay focused, since she wasn't sure how long his euphoric state would last. "Alonzo I know it's difficult -- but can you try and concentrate? I need to know what happened to you -- on the Dream Plane."

It took him a moment, but he remembered. "Oh yeah -- I found those bubbles again. Julia the energy I feel when I touch one -- the rush -- it's _incredible. _I've never felt anythin' like it. It's even better than flyin'. Ya hafta try it."

Very cautiously, she asked, "What about what happened with the Terrians?"

Her question didn't trigger the hostile response he'd exhibited earlier that day. He seemed to be recalling his experience. "I grabbed a blue one. It was gorgeous --- all sparkly and shiny -- just like your eyes. I started to feel this surge of power tingling through my body. Then the Terrians threw me out." He was disappointed by this.

"Uly's been talking with the Terrians. He thinks he and his friends could mediate between you and these local Terrians so they could finish giving you this message, yet protect you at the same time. It could be dangerous -- do you want to do this?"

"Yeah. I wanna go back." He responded with eagerness.

She was apprehensive. Did he know what he was saying? Was his response due to his desire to contact those bubbles again? Or had his present dazed state influenced his thoughts? His smile seemed too broad, his eyes too bright. She wasn't sure what to believe. She was fully aware that she hadn't eradicated Alonzo's problem, she'd just initiated the first of many treatments. "This is important Alonzo. Do you think you can return and _not _touch the bubbles?"

He looked at her incredulously. "Why would I wanna do that? They're so beautiful."

Dr. Heller sighed. Evidently, this was a decision the pilot couldn't make on his own.

XXXXXX

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

**Chapter 10**

"Danziger? Can I talk to you?" Bess caught up to the man as he walked away from the communal campfire.

He kept moving and gruffly replied over his shoulder, "I'm busy -- maybe later. I gotta talk with Devon about some things."

Reluctantly, the woman added, "Well - you might have more to talk with her about."

He stopped -- she'd caught his attention. His eyes met hers. "Okay, let's hear it."

Her voice was low so that others passing by wouldn't hear her. She was almost embarrassed as she told him, "I hate to sound paranoid, especially with all that's happening around here, but...I think something's going on with Morgan and Walman."

"What do you mean?"

It went against her pride, but she had to tell him her fears, "They don't look right. I think they've caught some sort of flu. They're both feverish, tired _and_ they'reforgetting things -- _important _things."

Danziger had enough problems to deal with. "If it's just the flu, they can stay in one place until it runs its course. Don't you think Julia would be a better person to consult with about this?"

She swallowed nervously, "True, but there's more to it John. Yesterday, they claimed they were on their way back to camp, but their coordinates don't indicate this.

"Maybe they got disoriented. Or there could've been a malfunction with the gear compass. These sets have taken a lot of abuse during this trek across the planet."

His suggestions sounded logical, yet she couldn't dismiss the prickle of her intuition. "You could be right. But they missed this evening's check in."

"If they're as tired as you think they are, they're probably resting up. Let's give them 'til morning to contact us." He saw no need for treating this as a crisis -- yet.

"Is that what you'd do?" He looked at her strangely, "If True or Devon were out there? Could you just wait 'til morning?"

The mechanic took a breath. "What other choice would I have?" With sympathy, he added, "But I don't think I'd sleep much that night. Why don't you talk with Yale or Julia? They could help us determine if this flu really is cause for alarm. I'll catch up with you later."

XXXXXX

Danziger pulled a camp stool closer to Devon's cot. She'd been asleep but she stirred when she heard him enter. She propped herself up, leaning against her elbows, "Hey Danziger -- what's going on with camp? How's Alonzo?"

Old habits were hard to break. At first, their perpetual use of last names had been a protective device to maintain distance between them. While they still tended to greet one another in this fashion, it was done much more affectionately than it had been a few months ago.

"You always get right to business -- don't you?" He grinned as he shook his head, thankful that some things were still the same. "You look better." She was no longer ghostly pale, and she spoke as if she were more coherent than when he last saw her. Yet dark smudges remained beneath her eyes.

"Does Julia have any answers from the tests she did on me?" she asked anxiously.

His grin disappeared. "She's had higher priorities, she's been working night and day on Alonzo's problem. Besides, why ask me? I didn't think that was 'any of my business'." His sarcastic tone readily revealed that he was angry and hurt.

Devon swallowed hard then rather sheepishly replied, "I guess we need to talk about that."

"You better believe we do. But not now. You have to get better first."

"I am better," she answered confidently as she strove to change the subject. "Those test drugs are finally out of my system. But I'm still exhausted. I think it's those other pills that Julia keeps giving me. I'm gonna stop taking them."

Without raising his voice significantly, he firmly objected, "No way in hell, Adair. Julia knows exactly what she's doing, she's a smart doctor. You're gonna do _everything_ she says." He didn't give her a chance to protest. "Speaking of getting better...". He filled her in on the latest news about Alonzo; that he'd woken from the coma in a violent state and that Julia had some success with her first attempt to treat him. All the while, he carefully avoided mentioning Uly's involvement in the affair, along with all the hocus-pocus of the Dream Plane.

"So how does this therapy work?" Devon asked.

He shrugged, "That's the doc's department. My impression was that he wouldn't be cured overnight. But she thinks it can be done over a longer time period."

She was pleased. "Good. Have you discovered what caused his illness? And how are those scouting teams? Did Baines and Magus have any luck? Have Morgan and Walman run into problems? Are the Terrians mad at us?"

"Slow down Devon. The Terrians aren't mad at us. Baines and Magus will be back in camp tomorrow. They didn't find an alternative route. Morgan and Walman haven't run into any troubles. Well -- not exactly. Bess thinks they've caught some sort of flu.

She frowned, "That doesn't sound good. Has Julia had a chance to check them out over gear?"

"Uh, no. She just brought it to my attention." He didn't want to get into camp squabbles at present, it got too complicated. He knew exactly why Bess had approached him, and not Julia or Yale. While everyone was still speaking with one another, there was an underlying degree of tension between them when certain topics were brought up. Undeclared factions had formed -- those in favor of using the passage, and those opposed. He didn't want to upset Devon by discussing the nitty gritty of camp problems, she had to concentrate on getting better.

"John, I think we should go get Morgan and Walman."

He looked at her oddly, "What are you talkin' about? It sounds like they only have the flu. Let 'em wait it out then come back. They just need to rest up."

Devon explained, "But it must be more than that. Bess obviously thinks it is, otherwise she wouldn't have brought it up. She's not the type of person who makes a big deal out of nothing. And it might not be an ordinary flu or fever, like the one you caught. We can't make too many assumptions on this planet."

Damn, that sounded like something _he_ should've said. "It's not practical to send in a team now Devon. The TransRover is all we have. We'd make horrible time. The ATV won't be back in camp 'til tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Also, I don't want to divide us up even further than we already are. We need to stick together."

"I agree. But I still think we should go get them. They're members of our group and they could be in trouble."

"I told you --the Terrians aren't mad at us -- that's not a problem," Danziger emphasized.

Her expression indicated that she wasn't fully convinced. "Bringing Morgan and Walman back could be construed as a sign of good faith. A willingness to work with them."

Danziger sighed. He did not want to get into a debate about Terrian politics, nor did he want to go into details about why he felt this wasn't a problem. So he stalled, "I'll talk with the others about your suggestion."

His strategy wasn't successful. Her eyes narrowed, she knew he was hiding something. "Oh, I see. There is more to this -- isn't there? There's a link between all these things: Alonzo's strange behavior, the Dream Plane and the passage. I knew it! What is it? What have you found out?" She insisted with a determined glint in her eye.

"Hey -- calm down. We're working on theories, we don't have any proof. I'll tell you more about our ideas -- tomorrow -- you need to rest now." He wasn't sure if she was going to buy that.

To his relief, she appeared willing to let it go. "Okay, if you insist on not telling me more about our camp situation, let _me_ pick our next topic of conversation."

He agreed, readily.

Slyly, she asked, "How about _bio-stat implants_?"

Shank, he set himself up for that one. He was out of the frying pan and into the fire. He didn't want to talk about that either. But he knew that look, Devon wasn't going to rest until he coughed up some information. Uly's involvement on the Dream Plane was guaranteed to upset her, she could be fanatical about her son. So he reluctantly agreed to the uncomfortable subject of her bio-stat implant.

"Okay," he mumbled.

She rapidly fired her question. "How did you know that I didn't have one?"

This was going to be extremely difficult for him. Heck, just accepting what had happened that day was a huge stretch for him. He'd always been a skeptical person who assiduously tested what was before his eyes. If someone else had shared this story with him, he would've laughed his ass off. He didn't want to look like a jerk in front of her.

He took a breath, "Before I start, promise me that you won't bring this up again -- ever."

Confused, she agreed, "Okay."

"_You_ told me."

"_Me_?" she sputtered. "But when? I myself didn't suspect until I collapsed and you put me into that cold sleep chamber. There wouldn't have been time for me to tell you. And I don't think I mentioned it to anyone after you revived me -- did I?"

There was his chance. He could lie to her -- tell her that had been the case. She'd been so groggy, her first week back at camp was probably a hazy blur to her. But that wasn't his style. He could feel himself growing warmer, "Do you remember what happened to Morgan when we approached Bennett's ship?"

"His VR encounter with Franklin? Julia thinks that was Eve trying to save herself."

"I dunno." How humiliating, he couldn't even look her in the eye. Okay, he was gonna get it over with -- just spill it, "'Cause I had that kind of encounter with you."

For a moment, Devon was stunned. "Wh...what? When was this?"

"Maybe a week after we left you on that space ship."

"How?"

He still couldn't look at her, "I have no idea. Morgan did something to my VR gear."

"Morgan? What did I say?" Her cheeks grew red.

"Nothin' to be embarrassed about," he assured her. "You asked how everyone was at camp, told me about your bio-stat implant to help Julia find a cure for you...stuff like that.."

"What else?" He looked to her, pleading her to stop. "What is it, John?"

"You honestly don't remember?"

"No, I'm sorry -- I don't," she answered.

He had no idea how to explain what had happened -- the fact that the emotions of that moment were far more important than any spoken words. He took a breath and said as quickly as he could, "Let's just say that seeing you standing in front of me, looking alive and healthy, just after we'd presumably left you for dead, frozen in that chamber, was one _hellava_ shock."

More softly, she replied, "It's okay, John. I understand."

XXXXXX

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

**Chapter 11**

"We have to do _something_!" Bess demanded with her hands firmly planted on her hips. She stood before the members of Eden Advance who were gathered about the camp fire, some seated on dead logs or crates, others standing in the background. Even though she was frightened about her husband's predicament, she wasn't hysterical; she remained in control. Her fears were tightly bound in a knot within her. Her voice was firm and unusually authoritative as she emphasized, "I can't raise them on gear. They've missed two check-ins. Something's wrong."

"Bess, you should've come forward with this information much sooner. It was foolish not to," Yale reprimanded.

She bristled as she remarked, "That's not the point, is it? Two members of our group are out there -- in trouble. We have to them to help them."

With a degree of caution, Cameron tentatively asked, "Are you sure they're actually in danger? Julia said if they had the flu, they'd be fine in a day or two. And they did go out on their own, against the wishes of the rest of the group."

"If something in that area _has_ caused a new type of disease, sending others after them could only make the situation worse. They could contract the illness as well and then where would we be?" Yale advised.

Bess glared at the tutor with thinly veiled hostility, while others commented loudly amongst themselves.

"They knew the risks when they went out there," Mazatl claimed.

"But they're part of our group!" Denner objected.

"Then why did they take off by themselves in the first place?" Cameron retorted.

Bess nearly shouted back, "They did what they felt was right, Cameron."

"Hey!" Danziger stood and spoke louder to command everyone's attention. "Let's calm down. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong. Deal with that later. The men are out there. We have a situation -- let's deal with it. Period. Julia, do we have any way to determine their current medical status?"

The doctor stated, "I've examined some of Bess' gear recordings, but it's not much to go on. Some of the memory loss is rather disturbing, but it could be attributed to an ordinary fever." Turning to Yale, she mentioned, "I was thinking, those bio-stat implants are designed to monitor body functions. Is there any way we could access that information, maybe get into Eve's memory banks, so we can get a better idea of what we're dealing with? We did download a lot of data about her programming while we were at Independence Colony."

The Teacher's eyes lit up. "An intriguing possibility. Unfortunately, the person best qualified to implement such a plan would be Morgan. Otherwise, it'd take too much time to set the system up."

"Do we have any reason to suspect that something in that area has caused some new type of disease? What has Alonzo learned from the Terrians?" Bess directed her questions towards Julia.

The doctor answered, "It's not clear." Bess rolled her eyes, indicating her disbelief. "It's the truth," Julia insisted. "The Terrians were showing him something but they got interrupted. What they have shown him doesn't make much sense. He believes that the message has something to do with the passage. That's all we know."

"In other words, we have no solid reason to believe that the Terrians are connected to what's happening with Walman and Morgan," Danziger summarized.

"I wouldn't say that, John," Yale objected.

"Based on what?" the mechanic challenged.

"Currently all we have is Julia's impression of Alonzo's dreams. But sometimes that's all we've had to go with on this planet. In a few days, Alonzo could continue his visit and find some answers to our questions," Yale explained.

Bess protested, "A few days? Morgan might not have that kind of time. His sickness could be caused by some unusual type of vegetation that they've encountered -- like those spring flowers Danziger and I found on our scout at the winter camp. The two events may be completely unrelated."

"Unless Alonzo could go back sooner --" Yale looked hopefully towards the doctor, who shook her head.

Julia added, "He's showing some improvement but we can't push him. We'll have to wait at least two or three days before he tries again. I don't want to risk it."

"Understandable," The tutor agreed.

Bess wasn't going to let them off the hook that easily. "So what are we going to do? Morgan and Walman went out there for all of us. They wanted to help_ us_ get through these mountains. I think we owe them."

"How does Devon feel about all this?" Yale asked John.

"She doesn't know all the details but she's committed to going after them. She's convinced that the Terrians are involved and that bringing the men back in might be considered some kinda sign of good will, or something like that."

Bess had reached her limit. "Okay. Enough discussion. When Baines and Magus get back with the ATV this afternoon, I'm going after Morgan and Walman. Anyone gonna join me?"

"Bess, that's not a wise course of action," Yale objected.

"I will." Danziger resolutely announced, without hesitation, as others turned to stare at him. "They're part of our group. We can't afford to lose anyone."

XXXXXX

Morgan groaned as he attempted to move. He felt awful, his head throbbed and his limbs were stiff and sore. His mouth was painfully dry and he felt uncomfortably warm. Water, he needed water. He fumbled about the side his bedroll for his canteen. After retrieving it, he gulped down several soothing swallows.

"Man, I feel lousy."

The voice startled Morgan. He turned to see where it was coming from.

"How're you feelin'?" The person asked him.

His throat was still so parched, it was difficult to project any sound. He shrugged his shoulders, instead. With some difficulty the other man collapsed beside him, on top of his own blanket.

An annoying electronic bleeping commenced.

"Shank-- make it stop!" The man demanded as he fumbled around, searching for the source of the noise. Likewise, Morgan was anxious to terminate the jarring sound that painfully reverberated in his head.

Within a minute, he'd located the instrument. Some sort of headset with flashing lights. He pressed all of the buttons at once, desperate to eradicate the piercing cry. Having limited success with that tactic, in frustration, he threw the device on the ground and pounded it with a rock.

Relief at last.

The other man began to talk again, but Morgan was having difficulty keeping track of his words. For a while he politely focused on the man, watching his moving lips; he nodded at occasional intervals, as if he were actually following the conversation. But a more fascinating sight captured his attention.

As the man brushed his hand against the red leaves of the ground covering, Morgan could see a shimmering powder-like residue, which sparkled. The tiny sparkles permeated the man's hand, as if his skin was not a barrier at all. Morgan grinned, the other man didn't appear to notice this miraculous sight. He wondered how it would feel to have those glowing particles inside of him.

Morgan tentatively brushed his own hand against the plant to produce the same effect. The mystical particles penetrated his hand. He was disappointed, he didn't feel anything in particular. He wondered where the shimmering glitter had gone.

Minutes later, as the other man droned on, the mystery was solved. Morgan burst out laughing. Unbeknownst to the other man, a glowing orange bubble, about the size of an apple, was emerging from his nose.

XXXXXX

Uly stirred, someone was calling his name. Was it his mom again? Earlier that evening, she'd left her tent for the first time in days to move about and get some fresh air. She hadn't been pleased to hear about the latest developments at camp but at least she was starting to sound like herself again --- a reassuring sign. She'd tucked him in bed personally that night. He wondered if she'd come back to see him again.

He opened his eyes to discover that he hadn't heard her voice. In fact, he wasn't really awake -- he was on the Dream Plane.

"Hello?" He was confused and a bit scared.

A Terrain from his tribe came to the head of the corridor to greet him.

"Why am I here? What's going on?"

The Terrain reached forward for his hand as he trilled to convey his purpose.

The boy protested, "What? No, you don't understand. He's not ready. He could get hurt. Please!"

The creature ignored his protests and simply reached for his hand.

Reluctantly, Uly grasped it and the two traversed through the wall to another chamber. The duo was greeted by other members of the Terrian's group, who had Alonzo in tow.

"Hey Uly," the pilot drawled, still in a seemingly drunken stupor.

Uly turned to the nearest Terrian, "It won't work. He won't be able to understand. Don't you see?"

They didn't heed his cries. Instead, the Terrians closest to Uly began to shepherd him towards another chamber. The other members followed as they formed a protective circle about Alonzo. He joked with them about his confinement.

"Hey, I'm not gonna bother anyone. What are you guys anyway, guards dogs? Woof, woof." The pilot snickered to himself.

Their band met the other tribe of Terrians, the guardians of the area, at the opening of a new chamber, which they proceeded to enter. Almost immediately, the brilliant glare in the chamber caused Alonzo and Uly to stop and stare.

They were in the mysterious bubble chamber which was filled with hundreds of bubbles. There was a huge variety of colors and shapes. They floated by the men, each one twinkling and sparkling with its own unique inner glow.

Uly had only been shown a few of the bubbles during his previous Dream Plane visit. "Wow," his mouth hung open, he was captivated by the sight. There were hundreds, if not thousands of the twinkling orbs.

"Isn't it the most beautiful sight you've ever seen?" Alonzo breathed as he subtly tried to move towards them.

"Don't let him touch them!" Uly cried. The Terrian guard managed to hold Alonzo back.

"Can you hear them?" Alonzo asked, with a mesmerized look on his face.

The boy crooked his head. Yes, he _could_ actually hear them - they resonated with a melodious sound.. It wasbeautiful. In fact, it was so hypnotic that he found himself subconsciously stepping towards them. His Terrian escort immediately grabbed his arm to detain him.

The guardians of the chamber began to trill to Alonzo, earnestly trying to convey their message. Yet the pilot seemed unable to concentrate, he simply stared at the glowing orbs with his mouth hanging open.

"This isn't gonna work," Uly complained to his escort, who paid him no attention. The party proceeded to travel down the corridor, following the migrating bubbles. Uly's group was in the lead, so he kept peeking over his shoulder to assure himself that Alonzo was alright. The pilot was acting strangely, but the Terrians were able to contain his actions -- at least for now.

The corridor became narrow, so the group proceeded single file. The passage led to a much larger chamber. It reminded Uly of Moon Cross, the same sort of mist covered the lower portion of the chamber. Yet it was evident that there was more to it than that. "Look!" Alonzo cried in awe, pointing towards a frothing caldron.

All of the bubbles landed in the natural well, which resembled a large soup pot. They dissolved as they contacted whatever liquid media the earthen hollow contained. The mixture swirled vigorously, as if it were being agitated by some sort of natural current. The guardian Terrians trilled urgently towards Alonzo, but he was captivated by the sight of the caldron.

"What is it?" Uly half-whispered to his escort. His question was ignored. Sometimes he hated being a kid.

The contents of the swirling well fed into the misty pool. A Terrian dipped his lightning stick into the liquid then held it up to show the visitors. It glowed with power.

The guardian Terrians attempted to Dream with Alonzo, but he wasn't cooperative. His attention was still fixed on the churning pool, and he was making stronger efforts to break away from his guards to reach it.

Uly was getting annoyed. "I _told you_ this would happen," he muttered under his breath.

Then one of the guardian Terrians grasped Alonzo's hand and led him to the edge of the misty pool.

"Hey!" Uly cried, trying to move towards them. But it was too late, Alonzo was submerged into the mysterious liquid.

"No! You can't do that! Stop!" the boy cried with all his might. "You're gonna hurt him!"

XXXXXX

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

**Chapter 12**

(Bess Martin)

_We didn't say it out loud, but neither of us had to. We'd started a race. A race to find the men while they were still alive, still treatable. Neither Danziger nor I honestly believed that the Terrians had anything to do with their situation. We were fully convinced that some sort of unusual plant or animal the men had encountered had caused their illness. We pushed ourselves relentlessly, taking minimal breaks. We were anxious to reach the men while there was still time._

_We didn't realize it was already too late._

XXXXXX

"I dunno. This area looks just like any other place to me. Trees, rocks, grass..." Danziger commented to Bess as he piloted the ATV through the valley.

Bess was leaning her back against Danziger's chest. It was close quarters (a little _too_ cozy her husband would have claimed), fitting two adults on the small vehicle for such a long haul, but it was necessary. Naturally, Danziger insisted on driving, and Bess was so worn out that he'd convinced her to share the cramped seating rather than have one of them stand on the back of the vehicle. They both were a little too tired to hold on tightly.

Bess had been extremely quiet as they traveled. She greatly appreciated the fact that Danziger had so valiantly volunteered to accompany her on this desperate mission but she couldn't express that just now. Her whole being was focused on Morgan. _Please be all right, God just let him be okay_, kept echoing through her head. She didn't even want to think about life without him.

"Any ideas on what made them sick?" The mechanic didn't give up easily.

"No," Bess reluctantly offered. "You know, the last place we stopped, we did see about five of those large animals -- in a heap on the ground. Maybe Morgan and Walman did some hunting and mistakenly ate a sick animal."

"Sounds as good as any of those other ideas."

"It can't be those red plants. Julia already tested them," Bess stated with certainty.

"They are odd lookin'. But you're right," Danziger agreed.

With barely concealed anxiety, Bess asked, "How much further?"

"If they're at the last location they transmitted from -- and I think there's a good chance they will be, it'll take us two days -- including stops for recharging the vehicle."

"I don't need to sleep," Bess claimed with determination.

Her fear was apparent to Danziger so he tried to soften his explanation, "Unfortunately, the vehicle does. I'm pushing this thing as hard as I can, Bess."

"I guess that's the best I can ask for."

XXXXXX

"Mom! Mom!" Uly screamed from his cot.

Devon tore into the tent at breakneck speed, "What is it, Uly? What's wrong?" The boy was shaking so she scooped him up into her arms. "What is it, Champ? Tell me."

"Alonzo!" he cried. "I think the Terrians hurt him." Tears began to fall down his cheeks as he buried his face against his mom and held on tightly.

His mother was confused, "What do you mean? The Terrians wouldn't do anything like that. Did you have a bad dream?"

"No, I _saw it_...I saw the whole thing. Mom, I'm scared," he sobbed.

Julia burst into the tent. "Devon, we have to talk."

"Give me a minute here," Devon curtly replied, not taking her eyes away from her distraught son.

The doctor was undeterred. "We've finally figured it out." Devon turned to give her a perplexed look. "The Terrian's message. C'mon, Alonzo and I will explain it to you."

"Alonzo?" Hope filled Devon's voice as she turned to face Julia.

The doctor couldn't help but grin as she announced, "He's completely cured."

"_What?_ What did you do? Increase the dosage of his medication?" Devon asked.

"Devon,_ I_ didn't do a thing. The Terrians did it." Uly's head rose. "C'mon, we'll have to make some important decisions as soon we bring you up to speed."

Devon hesitated, she was reluctant to leave her son, so Julia suggested, "Bring him along. Having some answers may be helpful for him. Besides, he was there for part of this, I think he needs to hear the whole story."

Devon helped Uly out of bed and he rapidly pulled on some fresh clothes. As they left the tent, Devon recommended, "We should get Yale."

Julia was one step ahead of her, "Alonzo's already looking for him."

XXXXXX

Just as the doctor claimed, Alonzo had returned to his old self. In fact, he looked even better than he had before. He radiated an aura of health. He was well rested, his complexion was clear, even his eyes had lost their haggard appearance. He didn't look like a man who'd been in a coma then restrained to a cot for over two days.

Uly's eyes were fixed upon Alonzo. "You're okay," he stated in awe, having trouble believing his eyes.

"Of course, Uly." Alonzo warmly reassured him, "The Terrians helped me, just like they helped you and your mom."

"It's a miracle," Yale breathed as he examined the pilot.

"What happened?" Devon demanded, always wanting answers.

Alonzo began to explain, "The Terrians took Uly and I to the Dream Plane last night to show us their message. _We_ didn't have a choice in the matter. I was still out of it so I had no idea what they were talking about for a while."

"Tell us more," Yale eagerly insisted.

"What _are_ those bubbles?" Uly asked.

Alonzo answered, "The bubbles are a source of energy for the planet. Last night, the Terrians showed us a type of energy processing plant which is located in the vicinity."

Devon tried to put things together, "So the acid lakes would be energized at these stations, then they'd circulate the energy to other areas of the planet."

"That's right," Alonzo nodded.

"We've seen these acid lakes before. We'd guessed that they were power sources which the Terrians wanted us to stay away from them. What's different about this place? What do these so called bubbles have to do with anything?" Yale asked.

Julia stepped in, "Bear with me a few minutes. We've already discovered that G889 has a strong metaphysical plane. That's the only explanation we've been able to come up with to account for the complexities of the Dream Plane and some of the other unusual things that we've encountered on this planet such as Dell's message and our nightmares at Independence Colony. We've also deduced that many parts of G889 mimic the human body. The sunstones act as part of the cerebral cortex --- the brain. The spider tunnels are possibly part of a circulatory system. Even at Independence colony, we saw evidence of a planetary immune response. So it makes sense that there are other areas of the planet designated for other such 'bodily functions'."

Devon proposed, "Then the acid lakes would be similar to the bloodstream, bringing nutrients er...power."

Julie nodded, "Possibly, but there's more to it than that. Where does the energy come from?"

"Solar perhaps? Some sort of renewable resource, I'd imagine," Yale wondered.

The doctor agreed, "I'll bet that this planet does utilize solar energy. But there's something else. Another renewable resource. Life itself."

"What?" Devon gasped.

Alonzo jumped in, "Devon, the Terrians showed me that there are specific areas on this planet where creatures go to die. It's considered a natural part of the life cycle. At these areas, their energy -- chemical and metaphysical, is all recycled back to the planet. Even the Terrians are part of it."

"Their _souls _revert back to G889?" Yale was amazed.

"So it seems," Julia confirmed.

"That's what those bubbles are. Pieces of pure energy -- of souls. That's why they're so incredibly beautiful," Alonzo explained.

Devon straightened up in alarm, "Oh my God, what about John?" She quickly added, "And Bess, Morgan and Walman?"

With a tone of urgency, Julia explained, "You're not gonna like this. Morgan and Walman are already being drained of their mental and physical energy. That accounts for their flu-like symptoms and their disturbing memory loss. Devon, John and Bess can't reach them before being affected themselves."

Devon was disturbed, "Are you sure? If we call them back, what can we do for Morgan and Walman? We can't just leave them."

Alonzo agreed with Julia, "I don't like it any better than you but we don't have a choice. John and Bess would only meet the same fate. They wouldn't even realize it was happening until it was too late. We have to call them back --_now_."

XXXXXX

In the shadows of early evening, Bess sat on the outskirts of the Eden Advance camp with her face pressed against her knees. She hadn't had a good night's rest for several days, and she wasn't going to be able to start now. She couldn't even cry; she couldn't fall apart; she was judiciously conserving her energy with the hope that she could do _something _to help her husband.

She heard the rustle of some leaves on the ground. Someone was approaching her. "Go away," she firmly stated, her voice lacking emotion.

The person didn't listen, he actually sat down beside her. "Hi Bess." It was Alonzo.

She didn't want to deal with anyone right now. "Please go away. Unless you have any news -- just leave me alone."

He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder, "I can't even imagine how hard this is for you."

She lifted her head, "What are you doing about it?" Her words were an accusation.

Alonzo assured her, "I told you. I have a plan. The Terrians were willing and able to save me, so they should be willing to save Morgan and Walman."

"Have you made contact yet?"

"I tried right after we finished talking with you and John on gear. I couldn't reach them. But I'm trying again --okay? I'm not gonna give up. I'll keep trying until I reach them."

Bess responded, "You better. I know Morgan's not perfect. And that some of you have an even lower opinion of him. But he's just like anyone else, he has his flaws. Nobody's perfect. And just like the rest of us, he has his strengths too." Her voice started to break, "Alonzo, I need him. In fact, I think we _all _do."

The pilot stood up. "Try to get some rest, Bess. I'm gonna get a sediderm and try again. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. I promise."

XXXXXX

"What are you still doing up?" Danziger asked Devon. She was seated on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest as she looked up towards the stars which sparkled in the night sky. He joined her, sitting down beside her. "You should be resting, you still don't look so hot."

With fatigue in her voice, she answered, "With all that's going on, I can't sleep. John, we _can't_ lose those men."

He challenged her, "Why don't you let me work on adapting Julia's medical isolation gear so someone can go out there?"

She objected immediately, "No, you_ know _we can't do that. We're not sure if the suit would effectively block the effect of the plants. We can't afford to take that risk -- you know that."

"At least we'd be doing _something_ other than sitting around waiting." He grumbled as his eyes darted over to Bess's solitary figure, now holding watch over the dying embers of the camp fire. "How do those plants work anyway?"

"According to Alonzo, those red vines produce pollen which is nearly invisible. It enters the body and somehow interacts with our cellular and spiritual energy." She bit her lip, trying to remember the details properly.

"Why didn't Julia detect this stuff when she first tested the leaves?"

"I don't know. Best we can tell is that the vines only have that effect in those particular areas of the planet. Morgan saw the pollen on the first day of his scout in that territory. Even if Julia had been able to test the pollen while she was in that area, she says that her instruments would have been useless. They're not designed to give information about chemical reactions which don't exist according to current medical science. She's now comparing this area to a digestive system. She claims it's like our stomachs and intestines -- removing and processing energy and nutrients for body processes."

Always a skeptic, Danziger continued to criticize, "We didn't see that many living creatures there Devon. That's not a very efficient mechanism to run a whole planet by."

She shrugged, "Alonzo claims that there are many of these areas about the planet, and that even one animal furnishes a tremendous amount of this energy."

He was silent for a moment, thinking. "Think we could destroy those plants? Maybe burn'em?"

Devon's mouth fell open. "What kind of solution is that? Destroying acres of forest land, _and_ most likely the men that we're trying to save. I can't believe you would even suggest that."

He defended himself, "Hey, I'm just as tired as you are. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. I hate this situation as much as you do."

"I wish we could do _something_," she sighed.

Danziger rose and reached for Devon's hand, "C'mon." He attempted to pull her towards him. "We're not getting anything done here. Time to get some sleep. I'm personally escorting you to your tent." She stood, but she was reluctant to follow him. "If Alonzo makes any headway, I'm sure he'll wake us all up. Let's go."

As the couple walked towards the campfire, Devon pulled her hand away from his.

Danziger chuckled in response, "Nobody cares Devon. You don't need to be so paranoid. Besides, almost everybody's in bed asleep." And Bess was too absorbed in her own misery, sitting there by the fireside.

"It's just...the way I was brought up," she replied uneasily. She tried to change the subject as they walked, "Why didn't you tell me that you were going on that scout with Bess?" She'd been furious to hear that he'd undertaken such a task without even consulting her.

"It had to be done, there wasn't much time to talk about it. I barely had time to say good-bye to True as it was."

"You could've at least said good-bye to me," she murmured almost inaudibly.

"Touché Adair. Now you know how it feels," his sarcastic tone returned.

Her cheeks became flushed as they entered her tent. She sat on the edge of her cot while he hung by the tent flap. She was going to have to talk about what she had done. "I guess we're both pretty stubborn," she admitted.

"You got that right." He remained by the tent entrance, he wasn't going to cut her any breaks; she was going to have to apologize or do something to make things right between them.

"Come in a minute?" she gestured to a spot on the cot beside her. He lowered the tent flap to cross over and join her.

"I know you're mad at me about having those tests done." She took a breath, not sure how to continue. "I don't think you understand how hard it was for me to even tell you about my fears. It's always been hard for me to trust people with my feelings. So many people have tried to take advantage of me in the past."

He objected, "But you have to a least give me a chance! Otherwise, what's the point?"

Trying to defend her actions, she pointed out, "You went and did the same thing to me -- not telling me about the rescue mission."

"It's not the same. After nearly losing you twice in the past few months, I'd be damned if I was gonna barge in when you were sick -- just to wake you and upset you. The timing also seemed crucial for that mission. While in your case, waiting a day or so, or even more according to Julia, wouldn't have made a difference."

Becoming upset, she replied, "That's not true. When you're talking about minuscule bits of evidence, every minute of the day, parts of it wash out of my body. Every minute that goes by, the chance to definitively answer my questions becomes less and less."

John was confused, "What's the big deal there? To me, it's obvious that the Council did this to you. The idea of another spy being in this group is ridiculous. I don't understand why you're so hell bent on getting 'proof' of this. It's not gonna change a thing."

Filled with emotion, she answered, "I know that! But it _is_ a big deal to me. John, I've _never_ felt so vulnerable as I have since Julia told me what had happened to me. Someone_ violated_ my body. Someone tried to take_ my_ _life_. I feel like I'm losing control. Having an answer may not change a thing but it will help me to feel more confident, more in control. It's foolish, I know. It's not a logical issue, it's an emotional one."

Much calmer, he replied, "Why didn't you tell me this in the first place?"

She was reluctant to respond, "I...don't know." She half mumbled, "I guess I was afraid to."

"What kind of a future do we have if you can't talk to me about things like this."

Looking directly into his eyes, she answered in a hopeful fashion, "We can work on it." She reached for his hand. "I'm willing to try. Stay with me for a while?"

He squeezed her hand in response, "You bet."

XXXXXX

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

**Chapter 13**

"Hello? Anybody there?" Alonzo called out over the Dream Plane, his voice echoing back in a strange fashion. He'd made contact. Members of the guardian Terrains traversed through the walls of the chamber to greet him. One trilled towards him.

"Yes, I understand. I understand _everything_. I see how this area works and what it means to you." Alonzo was impatient, wanting to discuss more important issues.

Another Terrian approached him, and he examined the pilot's body at a closer range.

"I'm okay. I don't understand what you did but you healed me. I'm as good as new. I owe you," Alonzo assured them.

The creatures murmured amongst themselves.

"Um...I have to talk with you about something. Or better yet, let's Dream together." He and the Terrians crouched together. Alonzo created an image in his head of Walman and Morgan, driving in the Dunerail over the red vines which covered the passageway.

The Terrians responded in kind by showing Alonzo the men as they were at that very moment. The pilot gasped -- the men were mere shells. Their bodies were huddled on the ground in the fetal position, they were not conscious. "They're dying!"

The Terrians agreed. They conveyed to him that they didn't understand his distress. Surely this was why the men came to this area. All creatures that came to those passages were prepared for death.

He protested, "They didn't know. They're not ready to die."

The Terrians were having difficulty understanding why Alonzo was upset about the men dying. Dying was a natural part of the life cycle. The planet gave life, then it took it back. They did not question the natural order of things.

Alonzo was getting uptight, "Please, we need them back with us. Can you help us save their lives?"

They were reluctant to consider the idea.

"You saved my life and Devon's life. And Uly's --- what's so different about these men?"

"They did not obey our rules," was the best answer he could discern.

"But they didn't understand your rules -- you're not being fair," Alonzo's voice was growing louder.

He interpreted their reply as, "If they do not obey our rules, they will cause trouble for our planet. It is better this way."

"That's not fair! You don't know that. Sure, I can't make promises for their behavior but one of the unique features about humans is that we grow and learn from our experiences. Things rarely work the first go-around. We humans are persistent. We keep trying until we get things right. Can't you give them the chance to make it right?"

They murmured amongst themselves, then they expressed the same concerns as the other Terrians Alonzo had dreamt with. Humans confused them. Their lack of unity seemed utterly chaotic and doomed to failure.

The pilot sighed, this wasn't going as he planned. He'd never been able to answer this question to the satisfaction of any of the Terrians on this planet. But some one else's words were coming to mind. _Alonzo_, _I need him. In fact I think we all do. _When Bess said those words, he'd nodded to placate her but he hadn't truly believed what she said. He was getting an idea...

"You say our diversity makes us weak, it seems chaotic. But I argue that our strength is in our diversity -- in the fact that we _aren't_ all alike. We're like this planet. It has different parts which function together as whole. We're like that too. Each part is different from the others, but they all work together to meet one goal. We work together, in spite of our differences. Each person's uniqueness makes them special, it allows them to serve certain functions --- like this planet. The sunstones, the spider tunnels, even these lakes, each have special features. They differ from one another yet they're all important because they serve different purposes for this planet. If one part is injured, the rest suffers. It will be like that for our group if we don't get those men back."

Their next question was crystal clear, "What goal does your group strive for?"

Alonzo paused, this was getting too complicated. In good consciousness he could state that their group was fully focused on surviving the rigors of G889 and on reaching New Pacifica in one piece. But that was about it. While their trek across the planet had brought them together as a team when needed, they weren't alike. They never would be. They still disagreed on many fundamental issues. He couldn't convey that to the Terrians in a way that would come off favorable for their case.

Instead, he tried another tact, "Why did you tell me about this place? If you weren't concerned about the welfare of our group, why did you go to all the trouble of showing this to me?"

They didn't reply.

He gulped, going for broke, "You wanna know what I think? I think we're more important to you than you're willing to admit, maybe even to yourselves. You could've let us all travel along that pass and die, instead you chose to tell me about it. You shared private information about your planet with me. You know there will be more of us, and that you need a bridge between the two species -- that's why you reached out to Uly in the first place. Now you've testing our group as a whole. Will we respect your guidelines or not?"

He paused to take a breath. "You're right, we will set the tone for the others coming after us. You've already healed three of our group. Healing two more will only bring our group closer to yours. I can't make any promises for those coming after us, but I can tell you that people in our group will be more inclined to respect your wishes if you heal those men."

The group murmured amongst themselves.

"C'mon, give us a chance to prove ourselves to you. We both need each other."

XXXXXX

Members of Eden Advance went through the motions of their normal morning routines. Coffee and food were prepared, yet not much was eaten. Once the dishes were cleaned and firewood was collected, most found themselves reluctant to stray far from camp. Many found excuses to hang around their tents. About mid morning, a small group had formed about the camp fire, for a coffee break.

"Man, the tension is killing me," Baines commented to Denner and Cameron.

"What do you expect, everyone's waiting for the Terrians to dramatically pop out of the ground with Walman and Morgan," Denner replied.

"Did the diggers actually say they were gonna save them?" Baines asked.

Cameron shrugged, "Not in so many words. But Alonzo felt that he'd convinced them. I guess they'll move when they want to."

"If they're gonna do something I wish they'd hurry up and do it. This is driving me nuts. Walman could be a pain sometimes but he was a good friend," Baines grumbled as he rose.

"I don't even want to think about losing them," Denner sadly responded.

Trying not to dwell on that possibility, Baines suggested, "Let's go scout for some game, at least it'll keep our minds off things." The other two agreed and stood to join him.

XXXXXX

"Have some food, Bess," Yale offered a partially filled plate to the woman as he sat down beside her on a log. For most of the day, Bess had been posted before her tent; in that position she could best view most of the camp.

"I'm not hungry," she was exhausted.

"You need to eat. You'll need to be strong for Morgan -- to help him get better." Yale gently tried to convince her.

She started to pick at the food on the plate, figuring Yale had made a good point. Then she turned to face the tutor. Point blank - she asked, "Are they really gonna do this Yale? I wanna know the truth. I have to. If they said no...I'd rather know now."

"Alonzo's told us all the same thing. He felt they were seriously considering it. They didn't refuse his request."

Her voice started to crack, revealing the strain she'd been under during the past days. "Why are they playing these games with us? Don't they understand that we're talking about two men's lives?"

Yale tried to be as reassuring as possible, "I don't know Bess. They're a different species, we have to remember that. All we can do is pray that they will bring Morgan and Walman back to us."

For the first time in days, Bess began to lose her iron clad control. She started to break down, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know how much more of this I can take, Yale. The waiting. Not knowing. I feel so helpless." Yale put his arm around her to hold her as she began to sob against his shoulder. "I don't know how I can go on without him. I don't know what I'm gonna do.."

"Shh...Don't talk. It's okay." He crooned as he held her. Sobs began to wrack her entire body. "Let it out. You need to." He held her as she cried.

"Yale! Bess!" True screamed as she ran towards them at full speed.

"Now is not a good time True," Yale sternly advised.

"But they're back! The Terrians brought back Morgan and Walman. Julia's taken them to the Med-Tent to examine them!"

XXXXXX

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

The Road Not Chosen

by Joan Powers

**Chapter 14**

(Bess Martin)

_No matter how long I live on this planet, I'll never understand these Terrians. Uly, nearly invalid, was cured miraculously over night; yet his mother needed several months to recover from her near death experience. The Terrians returned Morgan and Walman to us. They even returned the Dunerail. But the men were only partially healed. For the first week, both men were complete invalids. Their memory was still poor, Morgan only seemed to recall who I was after several days. But, at least I had him back, and he was recovering, though it was a painfully slow process. _

_Each day I sat by his side, taking care of his needs. During his waking hours, I'd constantly talk to him about details of our lives together, to help jog his memory. _

_At least he knows who I am now. But I wonder if he'll ever return to being the man he was?_

XXXXXX

Danziger and Devon entered Julia's tent to meet with the doctor and Yale.

"What's with all the clock and dagger stuff, doc?" Danziger teased.

The doctor explained, "Since Morgan and Walman are in the Med-Tent, I thought it best if we met here."

"What do we have to discuss Julia?" Danziger asked. "You've already explained that we can't travel until Walman and Morgan get significantly stronger."

"And that might take a few weeks," Devon stated. As she noticed the doctor's grin, she exclaimed, "Oh my God, you've finally got results! What have you learned from those tests you performed on me?" As soon as she'd started feeling better, Devon had been pestering the doctor about the issue.

Julia called up some data on a computer screen. "Let me refresh everyone's memory. Over a week ago, Devon ingested some drugs which would interact with any inorganic substances in her body. After analyzing my scanner data, let me show you what I've discovered." The data screen showed an outline of the human body. The doctor pushed some keys, and some areas on the figure lit up.

Yale grinned and pointed with his finger, "Look -- that's the stomach lining! It's remnants of the poison delivery capsule"

Julia nodded with satisfaction, "That's right."

"So your theory that the Council poisoned Devon before we left the Stations is correct," Danziger summarized as he reached for Devon's hand to give it a reassuring squeeze.

"What about those other blips?" Devon's attention was focused on the screen. A few spots near the base of the neck glowed. "There aren't as many of them."

"I was curious about them too, so I ran several different analysis programs. Best I can tell is that's pieces of a bio-stat implant," Julia explained.

"What? But I don't have one? Do I?" Devon was confused.

"You said _pieces_," Yale emphasized.

"That's right," the doctor answered. "Here's my theory. Before leaving the Stations, you had a bio-stat implant, just like the rest of us. When Eve began jacking up the frequency, making us sick, it affected your implant as well as ours. However, in your case, the signal to the bio-stat implant triggered the slow release of the poison. That's why you got sick around the same time as the rest of us, and why your symptoms advanced so quickly. Within a day or so, you'd accumulated high enough levels of the poison to affect all of your systems."

"What happened to her implant?" Danziger asked.

"This may seem far fetched, but I think the poison dissolved it. I did a trial experiment using part of Eben's implant. It took a few hours, but it was effective," the doctor explained.

"Too bad we can't use this substance to dissolve the implants in everyone else," Yale commented.

Julia laughed, "Don't even consider it, that poison is far too lethal. But it gives me some ideas to play with. And I think we're gonna have a lot time on hands here, waiting for those men to recuperate."

XXXXXX

"Hold still Morgan, I'm almost done." Bess was carefully shaving Morgan's chin with his razor. "Okay, let's rinse." She stood to survey her handiwork, "Much better."

With a simple grin, Morgan smiled towards his wife.

Disarmed by his expression, Bess hurriedly continued her ramblings. "Do you feel better? I always feel better if I'm clean. It must drive you crazy being stuck in this tent all day and night. I'll have to talk with Julia about taking you for a walk once you get stronger. You _are_ feeling better honey? Aren't you?"

"Yes, Bess. I am."

His words sounded pleasant enough, but they lacked depth. She could've have easily been speaking with a young child. What did he mean? Was he telling her the truth or only what she so desperately wanted to hear? It had already been over a week since the Terrians brought him back. Would he ever be the person he was?

"Morgan, do you remember much about me?" She'd been afraid to ask that question, knowing the response could only be upsetting. But she wasn't one to avoid unpleasant tasks. "It's okay, you can tell me the truth."

Morgan frowned, concentrating. "The details are fuzzy. But when I look at you, I know that you're important to me --- that you mean a lot to me." Her eyes started to fill with tears.

"When..." He paused, searching for the right name. "--Walman and I were lying in that valley, waiting to die, I kept seeing the image of a beautiful woman with long wavy hair. I thought she was an angel. She smiled at me and encouraged me to hang on. It was you Bess, I didn't remember your name at the time but it was you."

Bess swallowed hard. There was hope after all. "Do you remember where we first met?"

"No, I don't. I'd like to hear about it," he eagerly replied.

"You were a representative from the Stations, visiting Earth-side holdings at a mining firm..."

XXXXXX

After most of the Eden Advance crew had gathered about the main campfire area, Devon called the group to order, "While Morgan and Walman are recovering, we have to decide on a plan of action."

Baines readily volunteered, "I'll continue exploring the southern route. I'm sick of waiting around."

Cameron agreed to join him.

Danziger shook his head, "At the rate we're going, we're gonna have to hole up for winter again. Can we afford that type of delay?"

Devon answered with some impatience, "What choice do we have? I don't like it either but we can't leave these men behind. We've all seen that we fare much better as a group than on our own."

"Shouldn't the cold weather affect those plants?" Danziger hated the idea of a lengthy detour.

"He's got a point there. The plants may go dormant in the winter. In addition, it's a known fact that lower temperatures reduce the rates of chemical reactions. It could impede the effects of the plant pollen." Yale was intrigued by the possibilities.

"It's too risky," Julia stated, while Devon emphatically nodded her head. "We don't know the biology of those plants, or the precise chemistry behind the plant pollen reaction. Sure, the reaction might be slowed down. But we'd be traveling at a slower rate too. We don't know how far that region extends. We could get stuck in impassable snow, and inadvertently get exposed to massive amounts of pollen. And the Terrians wouldn't bail us out. It's not worth the risk."

"So you're saying we should stick with one of these enormous detours which could add months on to our trip?" Magus scowled.

"Do you have any other options?" Julia replied impatiently.

"What about destroying the plants?" Danziger insisted, dodging Devon's angry looks. "I know what you think -- I wanna hear what the others think."

"How would you do it?" Yale asked, considering the idea.

"Uproot'em. Burn'em. Whatever is necessary," Danziger explained.

"It's not that easy to pull the plants out of the ground. Morgan tried it." Heads turned to greet Bess as she joined them.

"Burning them doesn't seem like a very safe option," Alonzo added.

Danziger continued to defend his ideas, "Look we're stuck here anyway, Julia and Yale could do some experiments, maybe devise some type of agent which would destroy the plants."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea," Alonzo retorted. Answering Danziger's hot gaze, he explained, "Look what happened when we removed a few sunstones and froze up only a kilometer of land. The Terrians were pretty upset."

"And considering that we've been told how important this area is to them, it would almost be a slap in their faces to try to destroy it," Devon added.

Danziger was becoming annoyed, "But you said there are other places like this, what's the harm in altering only one of them? Our other options aren't good." Addressing the entire group, he asked, "Do you know exactly what we're dealing with here?"

Devon stated for the benefit of all, "There's a high probability that we'll have to camp out for another winter, and...that we'll arrive in New Pacifica _after_ the Colony ship."

"Is this a viable option?" The mechanic probed.

With great reluctance, Devon admitted, "I hate the idea of the delay. I'm responsible for all those people. They're expecting me. Do you think I want them to arrive in the middle of nowhere without any assistance? But if we have any hope of a future at all on this planet, we have to continue cultivating our relationship with the Terrians. They've just healed three more of our crew members. Damaging their land is _not _an acceptable option in my book."

Baines objected, "Hey -- what the Terrians did for you guys is between you and them. Don't hold all of us to that bargain, I had _nothin'_ to do with that."

"Yeah, why should we let a bunch of diggers dictate our actions," Magus chimed in.

Devon raised her voice, "Enough, we've talked this issue to death. Let's take a vote."

XXXXXX

_(Bess Martin)_

_It was the only decision we could make. After the Terrians had saved the lives of over five members of our party, we didn't have much of choice. We owed them too much. Baines and Cameron took off to scout along the southern route, while Mazatl and Alonzo explored the northern options. Nothing looked promising. But we weren't in a hurry, we couldn't even think about moving for over a month. And then most likely we'd be holed up in another winter camp within another month or so._

_But I guess things could be worse._

_I was hopeful about Morgan's recovery, that I could supply at least some of the missing pieces of his memory. But what about Walman? Baines and Magus had gotten to know him better during the journey, but no one knew all the details of past -- his family, his friends, and his experiences. Would we ever be able to restore him to 'wholeness'? It was a thought that made my blood run cold._

_I still have trouble dealing with the fact that the Terrians were able to completely restore Uly, Devon and Alonzo, but not Walman and Morgan. In my gut, I felt like they were playing favorites, which made me very angry. But Alonzo kept telling me that the circumstances weren't the same. So-called _metaphysical_ pieces weren't 'missing' for those earlier healings. And Alonzo's recent personality change had to do with the fact that he couldn't handle being exposed to the tremendous energy produced within that area._

_Traditional religion has always taught me that a soul was unique to each individual. That each was special and created by God alone. While other religions have suggested that these souls can be transferred between earthly bodies, no one has ever had the nerve to suggest that this precious item could be broken into millions of little pieces --- like some sort of puzzle. I found that idea extremely disturbing. Were there no limits to what we might face on this new and alien planet?_

_We were a team once again, in a sense, but we'd discovered that those bonds had limits. I wondered when we would test them again? _

XXXXXX

THE END

(Once again, thanks so much for reading! I'm thrilled to know that after almost 10 years that people are still interested in Earth 2. I have an unfinished E2 story on my hard drive, which is not part of this series. It's a short story, a different take on Devon's cure. If anyone might be interested in reading this, let me know and maybe I'll finish it up.)


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